Goddesses of Yesterday:  Fanny Mendelssohn

Ask most people their idea of what a great composer of classical music looked like, and you’ll probably get descriptions of a wild-eyed European man scribbling away in his paper-strewn study. There were plenty of examples who fit that archetype, but Fanny Mendelssohn was decidedly not one of them.

 

The oldest child of an aristocratic Jewish family in 19^th-century Germany, Fanny was a pretty, demure young woman whose musical ability was unmistakable even in her childhood. Alongside her brother Felix, she studied with many of the region’s finest music instructors, several of whom remarked upon her vast promise as a composer and pianist.

 

Fanny’s prolific output included more than 450 compositions for the piano. Unfortunately, the era’s attitudes toward gender roles didn’t allow much room for a woman in a field as prestigious as music. Most of Fanny’s works were published under Felix’s name, although she did receive credit for a number of later pieces. As Felix rose to rapid acclaim as one of the most revered composers of the age, Fanny labored in obscurity, marrying an artist and performing occasionally before succumbing to a stroke on May 14, 1847. Brother and sister remained close friends to the end.

 

Recently, music historians have reassessed Fanny Mendelssohn’s career and given her long overdue credit, both as a pioneer for women in the arts and as a true musical innovator. Some experts even credit Fanny as the inventor of the “song without words” genre, a distinction previously afforded to Felix. Legend has it that England’s Queen Victoria once personally praised Felix’s performance of the song “Italien.” Felix graciously accepted the compliment, but informed Her Majesty that the credit for that tune should go to his big sister. A century-and-a-half later, it’s nice to see that credit being belatedly given where it’s due.

 

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