Chorus a cappella
SKU:
BR.CHB-5234-02
Composed by Fanny Cecile
Mendelssohn. Edited by
Gottfried Heinz and J.
Draheim. Choir; stapled.
Chor-Bibliothek (Choral
Library). Fanny Hensel's
choral works not only
stand up to comparison
with any of the rich and
varied choral works of
the Romantic era - they
also rank among the best.
Very likely to become
hits! (Musica). Song;
Romantic. Choral score. 4
pages. Breitkopf and
Haertel #ChB 5234-02.
Published by Breitkopf
and Haertel
(BR.CHB-5234-02).
ISBN
9790004411537. 7.5 x 10.5
inches.
German.
Madame
Hensel, Mendelssohn's
sister, whose eyes speak
intelligence and
profundity''. This diary
entry made by Robert
Schumann in June 1843
succinctly but fittingly
characterizes Fanny
Hensel, without a doubt
the most significant
woman composer of the
19th century. Born in
Hamburg on 14 November
1805, she was the eldest
sister of Felix
Mendelssohn Bartholdy and
the granddaughter of the
philosopher Moses
Mendelssohn. In 1829 she
married the Prussian
court painter and
occasional poet Wilhelm
Hensel (1794-1861). After
her sudden death in
Berlin on 14 May 1847 as
a result of a stroke, the
music journalist Ludwig
Rellstab poignantly wrote
that she shared the
brotherhood ef talent
with her famous
sibling.Fanny Hensel was
given the same excellent
and comprehensive musical
training as her
precocious brother,
including composition
lessons with Goethe's
friend Carl Friedrich
Zelter. Felix and Fanny
not only loved each other
tenderly, but they also
maintained an intensive,
life-long exchange of
ideas which proved
musically profitable to
both of them. However, it
was only in 1846 that
Mendelssohn gave up his
resistance to Fanny's
publication plans. And
so, just shortly before
her death, she was able
to publish a carefully
selected sample of her
songs and piano
pieces.Not only these
pieces, but also a few
orchestral and
chamber-music works (e.g.
the String Quartet in E
flat major, KM 2255) and,
in particular, choral
music occupy an important
position in her oeuvre.
Most of her choral works
were written in 1846, and
she was able to rehearse
them with the chorus she
conducted at the famous
Sunday Concerts in the
Mendelssohn home. She had
six of these choral songs
published in a revised
version under the title
Gartenlieder Op. 3 by the
Berlin music publisher
Bote & Bock. The title of
the Gartenlieder brings
to mind Mendelssohn's
well-known Lieder im
Freien zu singen (Opera
41, 48, 59; ChB
4763-4780), published
before 1846. But, as far
as the quality of their
melodic writing, the
compositional technique,
and the choice of texts
are concerned, as well as
the perfect balance
between folk-like
simplicity and polished
design, they are as
outstanding as the works
of her
brother.
Fanny
Hensel's choral works not
only stand up to
comparison with any of
the rich and varied
choral works of the
Romantic era - they also
rank among the best. Very
likely to become hits!
(Musica).
