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  • Essay / Fanny Hensel: The Mendelssohn Sister

    Many topics came to mind when I had to choose a topic for music history. One topic I found interesting was that of Fanny Hensel. As I did my research, I found myself digging deeper into Fanny's life because I wanted to know more about her. When I read something interesting, it piqued my interest and then I realized I was looking for something else about Ms. Hensel. My research covers a little bit of everything, some of which includes its history, music, and random interesting facts. As you read, I hope you learn as much as I did, or at least something new from my research. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay First, I'm going to start by giving you a little history lesson about Fanny Cacille Hensel. Fanny was born on November 14, 1805 and died on May 14, 1847 in Germany. Which makes him 41 years old. You may also know her by another famous last name. Mendelssohn. Fanny Mendelssohn. Hensel is the name she took when she married Wilhelm Hensel, a Prussian court painter. She is the eldest sister of four siblings, one of whom is the other famous composer and musician in her family, Felix Mendelssohn. Both were well-off musicians as they had financial support from their parents. The big difference between the two is that Félix made his living from music, while Fanny did not, even though she composed her own compositions. Their father, Abraham, declared in a letter: “Music will perhaps become his profession, whereas for you, it can and must only be an ornament, never the root of your being and your doing.” Even though Fanny Hensel turned out to be a wonderful musician, Abraham did not want her to pursue a career in music and make it more of a hobby than anything else. Their family situation was too important for her to be able to make a living from music. From a young age, Fanny was a child prodigy who was taught piano by her mother, Leah Solomon Mendelssohn. Fanny's mother said that she had “Bach fugue fingers”. This comment reflects his passion and compares his musical abilities to those of JS Bach. She also had JS Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier memorized from the age of 13. Fanny had quite a bit of talent. Fanny Hensel was a fabulous composer and musician for her time, especially as a woman. She composed over 460 works for piano and voice, but unfortunately most of them were not published herself. “A number of his works were originally published under the name Félix.” One of these works was to be performed by Queen Victoria, who sang a piece thinking it had been composed by Felix. But Felix felt embarrassed and revealed to the queen that it was not he who had composed the piece, but that his sister had composed it. Soon after, the queen decided to choose a different song to sing, one by Felix and not Fanny. Even though Fanny was a fabulous composer, Felix was considered a better composer and musician than Fanny. But Felix thought otherwise. Félix “even readily admitted that his sister played the piano better”. People probably preferred him and his music to hers because he made a living from music and she did it as a hobby. Now the music of Fanny and Félix could easily be confused. They are similar, but different. Additionally, it doesn't help that some of his compositions were published by Félix. Every composer has a certain way of composing music. She has a musical style similar to that of her brother Félix. His music was filled withpassion and emotion with wonderful melodic lines. She and her brother believed that music could provide the same emotions and results as words. Furthermore, music could express what words could not. With this in mind, Fanny wrote several compositions in the style of a lied, which is just another name for a German song usually written in the Romantic era, usually for a soloist accompanied on piano. Lieders were beginning to gain popularity, especially around this time. She titled several of her songs “Songs Without Words,” whose compositions “demonstrated the beautiful romantic qualities of her music.” People around the world loved his compositions, and even today, they continue to cherish his works. We know that Fanny Hensel despised the idea of ​​making money as a musician. But she was allowed to perform plays in the performance hall of her house. With a performance hall, called Salons, in their house. The performance hall in their house was called Sonntagsmusiken and was established around 1820. You would think the area would be small, but in fact it was very large. She could accommodate 300-400 of her closest friends and family, and it's amazing that she has enough people to fill this performance hall. To be able to attend these performances, you had to receive an invitation, which means that the audience was handpicked. Over the years, they became more popular and increased their attendance. Participants, who were often present, included Clara Schumann and Franz Liszt, who are also renowned composers and musicians. In the Salons, she played her compositions and had her own little show since she was not professional. His brother, Félix, also performed at the Salons at a very young age. It was there that they both received their first musical performance activities. Pieces such as Notturno in G minor were often performed in the salon. Later, when Felix Mendelssohn left to pursue his own path, these concerts were discontinued until Fanny resumed concerts after her marriage to Wilhelm Hensel. These concerts were phenomenal and loved by many. To be more precise, a journalist declared that it was "a most unusual musical festival, in which one could hear careful interpretations of classical works of yesterday and today and where the pleasure was increased by the performances or by the presence of the best artists.” Musicians from Berlin or from elsewhere who visited our city.” They continued to grow and gain admiration year after year thanks to his own compositions. Composers around the world have certain pieces that they remember. Like everyone else, Fanny Hensel too. She has a few selections that are her best compositions. Some of their titles include Das Jahr, Overture in C, Bergeslust and String Quartet in E major. Each of their compositions is amazing in its own way and has a certain meaning. Das Jahr, meaning “The Year,” was written while the Mendelssohn family was traveling throughout Italy. This was a collection of pieces written about each month of the year. Each month having its own musical work. The overture in C is the only known orchestral work composed by Fanny. Bergeslust was a short song written on May 13, 1847. Unfortunately, this work has more significance than being a great composition during his lifetime. As you remember from his life dates, it is an important day. It was “just a day before Fanny Mendelssohn died suddenly of a stroke.” The String Quartet in E major is another spectacular work that Fanny composed. In his.