Photo: her later husband, Wilhelm Hensel (1794-1861) / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on November 14, 1805 in Hamburg, United States, Fanny Mendelssohn was a composer, pianist and university teacher. Fanny Mendelssohn died on May 14, 1847, aged 41. Notable works include Easter Sonata, Piano Trio and Das Jahr.
My Take
Fanny Mendelssohn is one of those figures in music history who genuinely makes you a little angry on her behalf — over 450 compositions, including the gorgeous Piano Trio in D minor, the ambitious Das Jahr, and works that rivaled anything her brother Felix was producing, and yet she spent most of her life being told that composing was not a suitable occupation for a woman. Felix adored her, consulted her, and quietly published some of her songs under his own name, which is a strange kind of compliment. She finally began publishing her own work just months before she died at 41. The 19th century's loss is real, and the fact that her music is still being rediscovered and performed today says everything about how good it actually is.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Fanny Mendelssohn
- Name (Japanese)
- ファニー・メンデルスゾーン
- Reading
- ふぁにー・めんでるすぞーん
- Born
- November 14, 1805 – May 14, 1847
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Ox
- Origin
- Hamburg, United States
- Occupation
- composer / pianist / university teacher
2. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Easter Sonata | — | |
| Notable work | Piano Trio | — | |
| Notable work | Das Jahr | — |
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://fannyhensel.de
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny%20Hensel
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%83%8B%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A1%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BE%E3%83%BC%E3%83%B3
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q57286
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Fanny Mendelssohn born?
Born November 14, 1805.
When did Fanny Mendelssohn die?
Died May 14, 1847, aged 41.
Where was Fanny Mendelssohn from?
Fanny Mendelssohn was from Hamburg, United States.
What did Fanny Mendelssohn do?
Fanny Mendelssohn worked as composer, pianist, university teacher.
What was Fanny Mendelssohn known for?
Notable works include Easter Sonata, Piano Trio, Das Jahr.
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