Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel: The Unheard Genius of the Romantic Era

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805–1847) was one of the most gifted composers and pianists of the Romantic period. Though often overshadowed by her younger brother, Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny possessed a formidable musical talent and produced over 450 compositions.

Her life and work offer a compelling case study of creative brilliance constrained by the gender expectations of 19th-century European society. Although Fanny Hensel's gender restricted her access to the same social and developmental opportunities as her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, her musical talent was considered nearly as exceptional as his. Evidence of this is found in Felix's regular reliance on Fanny's sophisticated musical judgment for his compositions, from their early years until her death (only six months before his own).

Felix consistently valued and acted upon her critical feedback, often modifying or entirely removing material she questioned. This high regard led Felix to affectionately call his older sister "Minerva," after the Roman goddess of wisdom, recognizing her highly developed musical and intellectual insight. 

The Early Life and Musical Education of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel

Fanny Mendelssohn was born into a prominent, wealthy, and cultured family in Hamburg. Her parents, Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn, provided an exceptional musical education for both Fanny and Felix, recognizing their extraordinary gifts early on.

Fanny's training included study with renowned teachers such as Marie Bigot in Paris and Ludwig Berger in Berlin. By age 14, she could play all 24 preludes from Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier from memory. Felix often acknowledged her superior technical skill as a pianist. Established musicians noted ‘She’s astonishing’, they said. ‘Fanny is something else entirely’.

However, as Fanny entered adulthood, her father made the family's position on her future clear. In an 1820 letter, Abraham wrote to her: "Music will perhaps become his [Felix's] profession, while for you it can and must be only an ornament." This prevailing view dictated that for a woman of her social standing, public performance or publishing her works was inappropriate.

The Sonntagskonzerte

Despite the societal constraints on public life, and because her husband, Wilhelm, rejected the belief that a woman’s place was in the home. Fanny found an outlet for her creative energy in Berlin. She became the central figure in the Sonntagskonzerte (Sunday Concerts) held at the Mendelssohn family home. 

These weekly, private events—often attracting hundreds of guests, including prominent musicians and intellectuals—served as the primary stage for her work. Fanny would regularly lead the performances, often conducting an orchestra or chorus, and it was here that many of her compositions were premiered. Wilhelm supported her composing by decorating her scores with his illustrations. These illustrations can be seen in Das Jahr available for download on the HenselPushers website and are all above the current graded syllabus and studied at Level 12 in the TQ Programme. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6eBTcGwo9s

Compositional Style and Output

Fanny Hensel's prolific output includes:

• Over 250 Lieder (Songs): She was a master of the German art song, often setting texts by poets such as Goethe and Eichendorff.

• Around 120 Piano Pieces: This collection includes many works in the emerging Romantic style, such as the Lieder ohne Worte ("Songs Without Words"), a genre she and Felix both developed.

• Choral and Chamber Works: This includes the notable Piano Trio in D minor and the only known orchestral work, the Overture in C.

Her style is characterized by Romantic lyricism, harmonic sophistication, and a restless, agitated energy, a feature evident in works such as the Praeludio in E minor (from Klavierbuch). Critics today recognize her compositional voice as distinct, though sharing the same foundational training as her brother.

A summary of her main work categories is below with many works being available on (Hensel, n.d.)

Category	Approximate Number of Works	Notable Examples
Lieder (Songs)	250+	Italien, Schwanenlied
Piano Solos	120+	Das Jahr, Praeludio in E Minor
Chamber Music	20+	Piano Trio in D minor

The Decision to Publish

For decades, Fanny refrained from publishing. A few of her early works were published under Felix's name, most notably some songs included in his Op. 8 and Op. 9 collections.

It was only in the final year of her life, encouraged by her husband and a visit from the composer Charles Gounod, that Fanny made the decision to publish under her own name. She published six collections of works: four for piano, one of Lieder, and one of part-songs.

On 9th July 1846 she wrote in a letter

‘So laugh at me or not, as you wish: I’m afraid of my brothers at age 40, as I was of Father at age 14—or, more aptly expressed, desirous of pleasing you and everyone I’ve loved throughout my life. And when I now know in advance that it won’t be the case, I thus feel RATHER uncomfortable. In a word, I’m beginning to publish. I have Herr Bock’s sincere offer for my lieder and have finally turned a receptive ear to his favorable terms. And if I’ve done it of my own free will and cannot blame anyone in my family if aggravation results from it (friends and acquaintances have indeed been urging me for a long time), then I can console myself, on the other hand, with the knowledge that I in no way sought out or induced the type of musical reputation that might have elicited such offers.'

Tragically, just months after these publications, she suffered a stroke and died on 14 May 1847 at the age of 41.  Her death deeply affected Felix, who died less than six months later.

Legacy and Rediscovery

For over a century, Fanny Hensel's music was largely ignored by the classical establishment, her reputation limited to being Felix Mendelssohn's talented sister. The bulk of her scores remained in private collections and archives.

However, the late 20th and early 21st centuries saw a significant revival of interest. The rediscovery of her manuscripts, including her masterpiece, the piano cycle Das Jahr (The Year), has led to increased study, performance, and recording of her music. Today, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel is rightfully being recognized not merely as a talented amateur, but as a major, innovative composer whose life and work offer a powerful testimony to the challenges and triumphs of artistic expression.

A 'Grade Seven' piece in the London College of Music syllabus is the Bach-Inspired Triumph: Klavierbuch in E minor (1827)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R64NwxVIl0

Short Answer Quiz

Instructions: Answer the following questions in 2-3 complete sentences based on the provided source material.

1. What was Felix Mendelssohn's nickname for his sister Fanny, and what did it signify about his view of her musical abilities?

2. Summarize the viewpoint Fanny's father, Abraham Mendelssohn, expressed regarding her future in music.

3. Describe the extent of Fanny's early musical education and a key achievement from her teenage years.

4. What were the Sonntagskonzerte, and what role did they play in Fanny's musical life?

5. What was the scale and scope of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's compositional output?

6. Describe the key characteristics of Fanny Hensel's compositional style, according to modern critics.

7. How did some of Fanny's early compositions first appear in public print?

8. What factors finally encouraged Fanny to publish her work under her own name?

9. In her letter from July 1846, what fears and motivations did Fanny express regarding her decision to publish?

10. What happened to Fanny Hensel's musical legacy after her death, and what has changed in recent times?

Further Reading

Mendelssohn Haus: Leipzig : https://www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de/en/ (Haus, 2022)

Reference list

• Haus, M. (2022). Museum. [online] Mendelssohn-stiftung.de. Available at: https://www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de/en/museum#fannys-world-72 [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].

• Hensel, F. (n.d.). Hensel. [online] Imslp.org. Available at: https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Hensel,_Fanny [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].

• Hensel, F. (2023). The Letters of Fanny Hensel to Felix Mendelssohn : Hensel, Fanny Mendelssohn, 1805-1847 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. [online] Internet Archive. Available at: https://archive.org/details/lettersoffannyhe0000hens [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].

• HenselPushers. (n.d.). Das Jahr. [online] Available at: https://henselpushers.org/das-jahr [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].

• Imslp.org. (2020). Das Jahr, H.385 (Hensel, Fanny) - IMSLP. [online] Available at: https://imslp.org/wiki/Das_Jahr%2C_H.385_(Hensel%2C_Fanny) [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].

• Jarvis, S. (2025). Echoes in Silence: the Unheard Genius of Fanny Mendelssohn – beyond the score: Uncovering Diverse Musical Voices. [online] Bham.ac.uk. Available at: https://blog.bham.ac.uk/beyondthescore/2025/04/14/echoes-in-silence-the-unheard-genius-of-fanny-mendelssohn/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].

• Library of Congress (n.d.). Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, 1805-1847. [online] Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Available at: https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200156440/ [Accessed 31 Dec. 2025].

Glossary of Key Terms

Term / Name	Definition
Abraham Mendelssohn	Fanny and Felix's father. He provided his children with an exceptional musical education but believed that music could only be an "ornament" for Fanny, not a profession.
Charles Gounod	A composer whose visit in the final year of Fanny's life helped encourage her to publish her works under her own name.
Das Jahr (The Year)	A masterpiece piano cycle composed by Fanny Hensel. Its rediscovery was central to the revival of interest in her work in the late 20th century. Wilhelm Hensel provided illustrations for the score.
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805–1847)	A gifted composer and pianist of the Romantic period and the older sister of Felix Mendelssohn. She composed over 450 works, including Lieder, piano pieces, and chamber music.
Felix Mendelssohn	Fanny's younger brother, a famous composer of the Romantic era. He highly valued Fanny's musical judgment, calling her "Minerva," and relied on her critical feedback for his compositions.
Klavierbuch	A book of piano music by Fanny Hensel that includes the Praeludio in E minor. A piece from this work is considered a 'Grade Seven' piece in the London College of Music syllabus.
Lea Mendelssohn	Fanny and Felix's mother. Along with her husband Abraham, she provided an exceptional musical education for her children.
Lieder	German art songs. Fanny Hensel was a master of this genre, composing over 250 Lieder, often setting texts by poets like Goethe and Eichendorff.
Lieder ohne Worte ("Songs Without Words")	A genre of short, lyrical piano pieces. Fanny Hensel was a key figure in the development of this genre, along with her brother Felix.
Ludwig Berger	One of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's renowned music teachers in Berlin.
Marie Bigot	One of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's renowned music teachers in Paris.
Minerva	Felix Mendelssohn's affectionate nickname for Fanny, referencing the Roman goddess of wisdom. It reflected his high regard for her musical and intellectual insight.
Overture in C	Fanny Hensel's only known orchestral work.
Piano Trio in D minor	A notable chamber work composed by Fanny Hensel.
Praeludio in E minor	A piano piece from Fanny Hensel's Klavierbuch. It is cited as an example of the restless, agitated energy that characterized her compositional style.
Romantic Era	The musical period during which Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel lived and composed (1805–1847). Her style is characterized by the lyricism and harmonic sophistication typical of this period.
Sonntagskonzerte (Sunday Concerts)	Weekly, private concerts held at the Mendelssohn family home in Berlin. They were the primary venue for the performance of Fanny's music, where she often led the orchestra or chorus.
Wilhelm Hensel	Fanny Mendelssohn's husband. He supported her creative work, rejecting the prevailing view of a woman's place in the home and encouraging her decision to publish her compositions.