![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Book Review
Mar. 22nd, 2016 09:48 pmFanny Hensel: The Other Mendelssohn
by R. Larry Todd
This biography of Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn's equally talented sister, is often densely packed with information, but it is never ponderous or opaque. Instead, it is a fascinating look at the life and work of a composer who had been little known until relatively recently. Fanny, while certainly Felix's equal in musical talent, lived a very different life than he did, due to the strictures of gender and class in early 19th century Germany. It was one where she was expected to subordinate music to her roles as wife and mother, allowing it to only be an ornament rather than a foundation. But Fanny didn't quite do that. While her music making remained largely private, she still managed to compose over 400 works and to organize and perform in a long-standing series of concerts in her home (a kind of precursor to the later salons).
Todd does an exhaustive yet compelling job of examining Hensel's life and music, making this an extremely satisfying read. We get to see the challenges and the joys Fanny faced as she pursued her art while also living a life typical of upper class German women of the time. We also get a balanced and insightful perspective on the ways Felix and Fanny influenced each other's music, which I particularly enjoyed.
by R. Larry Todd
This biography of Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn's equally talented sister, is often densely packed with information, but it is never ponderous or opaque. Instead, it is a fascinating look at the life and work of a composer who had been little known until relatively recently. Fanny, while certainly Felix's equal in musical talent, lived a very different life than he did, due to the strictures of gender and class in early 19th century Germany. It was one where she was expected to subordinate music to her roles as wife and mother, allowing it to only be an ornament rather than a foundation. But Fanny didn't quite do that. While her music making remained largely private, she still managed to compose over 400 works and to organize and perform in a long-standing series of concerts in her home (a kind of precursor to the later salons).
Todd does an exhaustive yet compelling job of examining Hensel's life and music, making this an extremely satisfying read. We get to see the challenges and the joys Fanny faced as she pursued her art while also living a life typical of upper class German women of the time. We also get a balanced and insightful perspective on the ways Felix and Fanny influenced each other's music, which I particularly enjoyed.
