Composer Spotlight: Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Mendelssohn was born in November of 1805 in Hamburg, Germany. She was the eldest of four children, each of whom received the benefits of a musical education from an early age.
Mendelssohn excelled in her piano studies, first learning from her mother, whose teacher had studied with Johann Sebastian Bach. Being from a well-connected family earned her praise from many notable contemporaries, including composer Carl Frederich Zelter, who wrote of her playing, “She plays like a man.” This statement in the 1800s proved to be one of commendation and limitation in equal measure.
Indeed, Mendelssohn’s compositions were given fewer performances and acclaim based on her gender. For this reason, many of her works were published under the name of her brother, Felix. Her father strongly disapproved of the profession for a woman, writing to Fanny, “Music will perhaps become [Felix’s] profession, while for you it can and must be only an ornament.”
Fanny Mendelssohn died at the age of 42, but she wrote more than 460 pieces of music in her short life. Many works that had been attributed to Felix at the time have since been discovered to be Fanny’s compositions. During a concert for Queen Victoria at Buckingham Palace in 1842, the Queen expressed her fondness for her favorite of Felix’s compositions, only to have him confess that the piece she loved was actually penned by Fanny. The siblings collaborated musically, offering each other critiques and criticisms of their works through letters over the years. It would be difficult to reconcile Felix’s greatness without considering Fanny’s own prowess as a composer and pianist.
The NJSO Chamber Players will feature music by Fanny Mendelssohn, alongside many other female composers, as part of the OnStage at Stevens series.
Preview the Celebration of Women concert
Preview the concert with this Spotify playlist of works by Florence Price, Caroline Shaw, Fanny Mendelssohn and more: