Mendelssohn

When?

November 14 1805

May 14 1847, age 41

Where?

Hamburg, Germany

Mendelssohn was a

Romantic

composer.

Fanny Mendelssohn wrote over 450 pieces, but many people didn't know her music during her lifetime because people mostly paid attention to the music that men wrote, not women.

Because she was a woman, Fanny wasn’t supposed to play in public. Can you imagine not being to play piano in public because you are a girl? But Fanny didn’t let that stop her. She hosted parties where she would play her music and other composers’ music.

Fanny Mendelssohn wrote during the Romantic period when music was full of a lot of wild emotion: it’s kind of like the feeling when you’re stuck at your desk in the classroom and you just want to go outside!

Her brother Felix is a famous composer. Fanny’s music often takes more unexpected harmonic turns and emotional surprises than her brother’s music, making her pieces sound more daring and unusual.

Even though she didn’t always get credit back then, Fanny helped many composers share their music with the world, making sure it came to life off the page and into her own living room. She was a revolutionary!

Fun Facts

Both Maestros

Felix or Fanny?

Queen Victoria once told Felix Mendelssohn she loved one of his songs, but it was actually written by his sister Fanny.

Both Maestros

Even Dads get it wrong sometimes

Despite her talent, her father told her that music should be an “ornament” in her life, not a profession, because she was a woman. Sometimes father doesn’t know best!

Both Maestros

My Name Is Fanny

Some of Fanny’s music was published under her brother’s name, because it was considered incorrect for women to publish under their own names. Later in life, Fanny began publishing her works under her own name, a big step toward female independence!