Born: 14 November 1805, Germany
Died: 14 May 1847
Country most active: Germany
Also known as: Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel was a brilliant composer — possibly superior to her brother Felix, who passed her work off as his own. Yet due to her controlling father and brother, most of her more than 400 compositions remained unpublished during her life. After her untimely death at age 41, her personal documents were left to her family, who did nothing more to support her career than they had during her life — in other words, nothing. In 1965, most of her works became part of the West Berlin State Library’s Mendelssohn Archive, under the control of Dr. Rudolf Elvers, who likewise largely kept her works from the public for decades. As reported in 1986:
But he says the rest of her work must first be carefully transcribed and checked against all available source material, and that qualified musicologists are not interested. “I am waiting for the right man for the job to come along,” he adds, after first complaining about “all these piano-playing girls who are just in love with Fanny.” Contrasting her life with Felix’s, he says, “She was nothing. She was just a wife” with the name Mendelssohn.
He maintains that serious musicologists and publishers have little interest in her work because “it’s too much, and it’s not so good.”
Elvers also told a small gathering of scholars at Brandeis recently, “I don’t believe she will play an eminent role in music history.”
Because her works were not published, they generally do not meet the criteria for public domain, and groups that wanted to perform her pieces were typically denied by Elvers, as were scholars wanting access for research purposes. This was not the proverbial benign neglect of so many individuals and institutions towards women’s work — this was a misogynist deliberately undermining and gatekeeping the work of someone whose legacy he was entrusted with. When he said “I don’t believe she will play an eminent role in music history,” this was a prophecy he did his best to see fulfilled — we are only fortunate that her legacy outlived him.
Written in 1829, the piano composition “Easter Sonata” was believed lost for more than 140 years, until the original manuscript was discovered in a French book shop, with the signature “F Mendelssohn.” The “F” was assumed to stand for Felix, but later analysis confirmed in 2010 that it was in fact Fanny’s. Described as “masculine,” “violent” and “ambitious,” it is little wonder her composition would be mistaken for his, given how much he plagiarised her work.
Fanny was arguably the more talented sibling, but was held back throughout her life by Felix himself. Their suffocating dynamic empowered him to prevent her from pursuing a career as a composer. Although she wrote almost 500 beautiful compositions, he and their father forbade her to publish them or perform in public. Even as he supported Felix’s career, their father told Fanny, “Music is likely to become a profession for Felix, while it is only an ornament for you; it may never form the core of your life.” Even her marriage could not free her from her father and brother’s control. Even after her father’s death in 1835, Felix continued to actively prevent her from pursuing success.
During his lifetime, Felix himself acknowledged stealing Fanny’s works and claiming them as his own — even admitting to Queen Victoria that her favourite of his pieces (Italien) was actually written by Fanny. Several of Fanny’s compositions were published under Felix’s name in his Opus 8 and 9 collections. She also likely developed the Lied ohne Worte (Song without Words) genre typically attributed to Felix. Additionally, he sought her opinions on all of his own works and her insights helped shape their final versions. Fanny unfortunately died shortly after freeing herself from his control, the year after she published her own first opus. If not for the stroke that killed her, she may have truly come into her own as a composer and received the recognition she deserved.
The following is excerpted from A Dictionary of Music and Musicians, published in 1900 and edited by George Grove.
HENSEL, Fanny Cecile, the eldest of the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy family, born at Hamburg Nov. 14, 1805, and therefore more than 3 years older than her brother Felix. She was regularly instructed in music, and Mendelssohn used to say that at one time she played better than he. (See also Devrient, Recoll, p. 3). Oct. 3, 1829, she married W. Hensel, a painter, of Berlin (1794–1861 ), and on May 17, 1847, died suddenly. Her death shook her brother terribly, and no doubt hastened his own, which happened only 6 months later. Felix’s letters show how much he loved her, and the value which he placed on her judgment and her musical ability. He called her ‘the Cantor.’ ‘Before I can receive Fanny’s advice,’ says he, ‘the Walpurgisnight will be packed up … I feel convinced she would say “Yes,” and yet I feel doubtful’ (Letter, April 27, 1831). ‘Fanny may add the second part,’ says he, in sending a Song without words (Dec. 11, 1830). Again, ‘I have just played your Caprices … all was unmixed delight’ (Jan. 4, 40). Still, indications are not wanting of certain over-earnestness, not to say pedantry, which was occasionally too severe for her more plastic brother. (See Letter, April 7, 34, on Melusina; ‘Goethe and Mendelssohn,’ p. 47, etc.)
Six of her songs were published with his without indication, viz. Op. 8, Nos. 2, 3, 12; Op. 9, Nos. 7, 10, 12. She also published in her own name 4 books of melodies and Lieder for P.F. solo; 2 ditto of songs for voice and P.F.; 1 ditto of Part-songs—’Gartenlieder’ (republished by Novello 1878); and after her death a few more songs and P.F. pieces were printed, and a Trio for P.F. and Strings in D, reaching in all to op. 11. For her letters, journals, and portrait see ‘Die Familie Mendelssohn,’ by S. Hensel (Berlin 1879).
She is buried in the Mendelssohn portion of the Friedhof at the Hallethor, Berlin, and a line of her music is engraved on the tombstone.