The elder sibling of Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Cäcille
Mendelssohn was born on November 14th, 1805. Fanny benefited from
the same musical upbringing as her younger brother. Their composition teacher
Carl Friedrich Zelter, who later helped Felix revive Bach's St. Matthew
Passion, actually favored Fanny over her brother. Visitors to the Mendelssohn
home were equally impressed by the two musical siblings. Despite her prodigious
talents, however, she was held back by the prevailing attitudes of the time towards
women. Her father, Abraham Mendelssohn, at best was accepting of Fanny's
talents as a composer and pianist but offered no support. Felix, on the other
hand, was in private very supportive of his sister's musical activities and had
some of her music published under his name, albeit with some reservations.
As a pianist, Fanny made only one known public performance
as a pianist, performing her brother's Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1838. In 1846,
she published a collection of songs under her own name as her opus 1. The
following year, however, she suffered a stroke during a rehearsal of Felix's
oratorio First Walpurgis Night and
died on May 14th.
Fanny Mendelssohn composed over 400 pieces during her
lifetime. Many of her compositions for piano bear the title Lied ohne Worte ("Song Without Words"),
a style made popular by her brother. Indeed, it is possible that the idea
originated with Fanny. However, during her lifetime, Fanny's music was little
known though in recent years her music has benefited from
greater interest, performances and recordings.
Fanny Mendelssohn
Biography
The elder sibling of Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny Cäcille Mendelssohn was born on November 14th, 1805. Fanny benefited from the same musical upbringing as her younger brother. Their composition teacher Carl Friedrich Zelter, who later helped Felix revive Bach's St. Matthew Passion, actually favored Fanny over her brother. Visitors to the Mendelssohn home were equally impressed by the two musical siblings. Despite her prodigious talents, however, she was held back by the prevailing attitudes of the time towards women. Her father, Abraham Mendelssohn, at best was accepting of Fanny's talents as a composer and pianist but offered no support. Felix, on the other hand, was in private very supportive of his sister's musical activities and had some of her music published under his name, albeit with some reservations.
As a pianist, Fanny made only one known public performance as a pianist, performing her brother's Piano Concerto No. 1 in 1838. In 1846, she published a collection of songs under her own name as her opus 1. The following year, however, she suffered a stroke during a rehearsal of Felix's oratorio First Walpurgis Night and died on May 14th.
Fanny Mendelssohn composed over 400 pieces during her lifetime. Many of her compositions for piano bear the title Lied ohne Worte ("Song Without Words"), a style made popular by her brother. Indeed, it is possible that the idea originated with Fanny. However, during her lifetime, Fanny's music was little known though in recent years her music has benefited from greater interest, performances and recordings.