Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel

Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805–1847) – German pianist and composer, elder sister of Felix Mendelssohn. Like her brother, she displayed great musical talent, initially studying piano with Ludwig Berger, then also composition with Carl Friedrich Zelter. In 1829, Fanny married the painter Wilhelm Hensel and from then on focussed mainly on her family. Her career was also stymied by social conditions and the resistance of her father and her brother. Some of her compositions were published under Felix’s name, and she published barely a handful of works openly – shortly before her sudden death, in 1847. Most of Fanny Mendelssohn’s output was not published until the 1980s.