Character Catalog

A masterpiece by Fanny Mendelssohn, this cycle of twelve piano pieces evokes each month of the year, inspired by her stay in Italy. Long unpublished, it was rediscovered and recorded from the 1980s onwards, revealing the full richness of her Romantic musical language.

This ambitious work, published shortly before her death, is considered her musical testament. It reveals a mastery of sonata form and an expressive depth comparable to the finest pages of Romantic chamber music.

A large choral cantata composed by Fanny for the Sonntagsmusiken. She herself conducted the choir and orchestra, asserting her talent as a composer and ensemble conductor in a repertoire traditionally reserved for men.

The first collection published under the name Fanny Hensel, it contains songs for voice and piano of great poetic sensitivity. Its publication represents a major symbolic act of emancipation for a woman composer of the 19th century.

A chamber music work of remarkable formal ambition for a composer self-taught in the genre. Remaining in manuscript until its posthumous publication, it bears witness to the diversity and depth of Fanny's output.

A collection of lieder for solo voice or vocal ensemble, published just before her death. These intimate melodies reflect the domestic and poetic world in which Fanny lived and created.

I must tell you that I am happy to have finally dared to publish. The critics are benevolent, and I feel that I have done something right for myself, whatever may come.

Music will perhaps not become your profession, as it has for your brother Felix, but it can and must adorn your life, and remain for you a precious ornament.

Today I conducted my Easter Cantata before a large audience. I have never felt such satisfaction. I am a composer, and no one can take that away from me.

My sister is a far better musician than I am, and I still learn from her every time we work together.

Family home where Fanny spent most of her life and organized the Sonntagsmusiken. This private musical salon was one of the most influential cultural centers in Berlin during the 1830s–1840s.

Fanny Mendelssohn's birthplace, born on November 14, 1805 into a cultured Jewish family. Hamburg was at the time a major commercial and cultural hub of the German-speaking world.

Fanny stayed here with her painter husband from 1839 to 1840. This trip to Italy was a period of great creativity: she composed the cycle Das Jahr there and met numerous European artists.

Felix Mendelssohn's city, where he founded the Conservatory in 1843. Fanny visited on several occasions to see her brother and attend concerts at the Gewandhaus.

Fanny received piano lessons here from pianist Marie Bigot in 1816. Paris was at the time the musical capital of Europe, frequented by Chopin, Liszt, and the great Romantic virtuosos.

Fanny played on a pianoforte with English action mechanism, the instrument of choice among Romantic pianists. Her nimble fingers and remarkable technique earned her comparisons to the greatest performers of her era.

Fanny wrote out her scores by hand with great care, often illustrated with small drawings by her husband Wilhelm Hensel. These manuscripts are today preserved at the Berlin State Library.

During the Sonntagsmusiken, Fanny conducted the orchestra and choir assembled in the grand hall of the Mendelssohn villa from a central lectern. Leading an ensemble was an exceedingly rare activity for a woman at that time.

During her stay in Italy between 1839 and 1840, Fanny kept a journal and composed the cycle Das Jahr, drawing inspiration from the landscapes and seasons. This notebook blended musical notes with personal impressions.

Fanny maintained an extensive correspondence with her brother Felix, exchanging thoughts on their compositions, their reading, and European musical life. These letters constitute a precious historical source on the cultural life of the 19th century.

For the Sunday concerts, Fanny wore gowns of silk or velvet, in keeping with the bourgeois Berlin fashion of the 1830s–1840s, featuring a fitted bodice, puffed sleeves, and a full skirt with early crinoline.