Fanny Hensel, sister of Felix Mendelssohn, composed over 460 works but published few during her lifetime. Her Opus 1, a collection of art songs set to Heinrich Heine's poetry, was released posthumously, reflecting 19th-century gender norms in classical music.
Fanny Hensel, sister of Felix Mendelssohn, composed this set of expressive art songs setting poems by Heinrich Heine. Despite her prolific output, Op.1 was her only collection published during her lifetime (1846), reflecting the gender barriers female composers faced in the Romantic era.
Gondellied (Boat Song) is No.6 from Fanny Hensel's Op.1 Lieder collection. Characterized by flowing barcarolle rhythms evoking Venetian gondolas, it sets poetry by Emanuel von Geibel. Composed during Berlin's Romantic era, it reflects Fanny's innovative approach to art song despite societal restrictions on female composers.
"Wanderlied" (Wandering Song) is the second song from Fanny Hensel's Opus 1, a collection of six songs published in 1846. It is a setting of a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Fanny Hensel, née Mendelssohn, was a highly gifted composer and pianist, the sister of the famous Felix Mendelssohn. Due to the social conventions of the time, her work was often published under her brother's name initially. This opus, published just a year before her untimely death, was a significant step in her own recognition as a composer. Her music is characterized by its lyrical melodies and expressive Romantic style.
