Fanny Hensel: The Other Mendelssohn

by R. Larry Todd

Granddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn and sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Fanny Hensel (1805-1847) was an extraordinary musician who left well over four hundred compositions, most of which fell into oblivion until their rediscovery late in the twentieth century. In Fanny The Other Mendelssohn , R. Larry Todd offers a compelling, authoritative account of Hensel's life and music, and her struggle to emerge as a publicly recognized composer.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

426 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

Reviews

[busyreadingwithASD⋆.ೃ࿔*:･]

Fanny Mendelssohn, my literal queen. I adore you.

[Edmund Bloxam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is quite dry.

Unfortunately, women were restrained from expressing themselves. This exhaustive list of every single thing Fanny put on paper only goes to prove how restrained she was. In a sense, it was kind of sad trawling through it all. Since every piece comes off the same in description, finding the gems in the limited creative space that Fanny had is better done with the ears.

As for the nice bio bits, she was still an entitled rich person.

[Alex Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An expansion on the writings about Fanny that shadowed Todd's Felix bio, and a very respectfully-done one at that. Her repressed life is painted tragically, her musical accomplishments uplifted naturally, and Todd clearly intends to start proper discourse on her contributions to music with this work - let us all work to continue it.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography of Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn's equally talented sister, is often densely packed with information, but it is never ponderous or opaque. Instead, it is a fascinating look at the life and work of a composer who had been little known until relatively recently. Fanny, while certainly Felix's equal in musical talent, lived a very different life than he did, due to the strictures of gender and class in early 19th century Germany. It was one where she was expected to subordinate music to her roles as wife and mother, allowing it to only be an ornament rather than a foundation. But Fanny didn't quite do that. While her music making remained largely private, she still managed to compose over 400 works and to organize and perform in a long-standing series of concerts in her home (a kind of precursor to the later salons).
Todd does an exhaustive yet compelling job of examining Hensel's life and music, making this an extremely satisfying read. We get to see the challenges and the joys Fanny faced as she pursued her art while also living a life typical of upper class German women of the time. We also get a balanced and insightful perspective on the ways Felix and Fanny influenced each other's music, which I particularly enjoyed.

[Monique]

I read this book for a research paper on Fanny Hensel. It's a great definitive biography and essential for anyone studying Fanny. It delves into some analysis of her compositions which is wonderful if you are writing a paper, as a listening companion, or to get a detailed picture of how her style developed. In general, we need much more critical study of Hensel as a composer. However, if you are just looking for a biography about Fanny's life, the frequent extensive descriptions of her pieces can make it a difficut read at times.