Fanny Mendelssohn, die vergessene Romantikerin is a short documentary film which was shown on French and German television (arte) in 2024.
This film covers the life and work of the German musician and composer Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Available on the arte website until 28 March 2026
** Language: French or German
** Subtitles: not available!
** Run time: 14 minutes
Several persons are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetic order:
** Jan Dunzendorfer – Director of Knoblauchhaus, a museum in Berlin
** Dilhan Kantas – a musician (violin and viola)
** Dr. Thomas Lachmann – vice-president of the Mendelsohn Society
** Hannah Lotte Lund – a historian
** Sarah Papadopoulos – a singer
** Sophia Weidemann – a musician (piano)
Fanny Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg in 1805. Her
brother Felix was born four years later, in 1809. When Fanny and Felix were young children, the family
moved to Berlin where they both grew up.
Fanny and Felix were both talented musicians and composers. But Felix was a boy, while Fanny was a girl. In the nineteenth century, music could be a profession for a man but not for a woman.
When Fanny was a young woman, her father told her she had to focus on getting married and having children.
Felix felt the same way as his father. Fanny could play music at home - this was accepted - but she should not give concerts in public and she should certainly not try to make money from her music. Only a man could do that.
Fanny met her future husband in 1821, when she was still a teenager, but her family did not allow them to have any contact with each other. The more the family tried to keep them apart, the more they wanted to get together.
The future husband was Wilhelm Hensel, a painter who was born in 1894.
In 1829, Fanny and Wilhelm were married. When she married Wilhelm, she took his family name and she became Fanny Hensel.
In 1830, the couple had a son Sebastian who lived a long life. He died in 1898.
His father Wilhelm Hensel died in 1861.
His mother Fanny Hensel died in May 1847.
Fanny’s brother Felix died in November 1847, only six months after his sister.
Fanny was not only a talented musician; she was also a keen composer. But only a few of her works were published in her own lifetime. Some of them were published under her brother’s name!
In her short life, Fanny composed more than 450 musical pieces. Most of them were not published in her own lifetime. Since the 1980s, there has been renewed interest in her compositions.
The story of Felix Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny is somewhat similar to the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his sister Maria Anna, whose nickname is Nannerl.
All four were talented musicians and composers, but the times in which they lived did not treat them in the same way.
The two brothers were encouraged to focus on a public career in the world of music, while the two sisters were told to focus on getting married and having children.
For many years, Wolfgang’s sister was not well-known, while Wolfgang was famous all over the world.
For many years, Felix’s sister as not well-known, while Felix was famous all over the world.
In recent years, the two sisters have been rediscovered and their role in the world of music is no longer forgotten or ignored.
This film is short. But it covers the life and work of Fanny Hensel (born Mendelssohn) in great detail.
The story is interesting. It deserves to be told, and in this film, it is done very well.
If you are interested in European history – including the history of European culture and music – this short film is definitely something for you.
It is highly recommended.
REFERENCES
# 1. Film and video
Great Composers:
Fanny Mendelssohn
Run time: 4 minutes
(2017)
Available on YouTube
Did Felix Mendelssohn steal his sister’s work?
A documentary film by Beth Roars
Run time: 11 minutes
(2021)
Available on YouTube
La Soeur géniale:
Fanny Hensel (née Mendelssohn)
A documentary film
Director and writer: Anna Schmidt
Run time: 53 minutes
(2023)
Available on YouTube
Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn
A documentary film
Writer and director: Sheila Hayman
Pianist: Isata Kanneh-Mason
Run time: 97 minutes
(2023)
# 2. Books
The Letters of Fanny Hensel to Felix Mendelssohn
Edited by Marcia Judith Citron
(1987)
Fanny Mendelssohn
By Françoise Tillard
French original published 1992
English translation by Camilee Naish
(1996)
The Mendelssohns:
The Music in History
Edited by John M. Cooper and Julie D. Prandi
(2002)
Fanny Hensel: The Other Mendelssohn
By R. Larry Todd
(2009 = hardcover)
(2014 = paperback)
*****
The famous German composer
Felix Mendelssohn
(1809-1847)
*****
Fanny Hensel:
The Other Mendelssohn
By R. Larry Todd
2009 = hardcover
2014 = paperback
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Fanny: The Other Mendelssohn
A documentary film
(2023)
Released on DVD in 2024
Available via Amazon Prime Video
*****
