The Inner Band

The Mendelssohn family invested a great deal in their children's education. Fanny and Felix proved to be musical prodigies on a par with one another. The lives of the Mendelssohn siblings were quite similar for a time. It was not until 1829, with Felix' journey to England and his six-month stay in London and Scotland, as well as Fanny's engagement and marriage to Wilhelm Hensel, that the prevailaing gender roles of the 19th century dominated their further course. While the son ascended on a respectable career, the daughter was married. Felix' works have been published. This right was not granted to his sister. Nevertheless, Fanny did made some works, mainly chamber music, on paper. In the field of orchestral music, she presented, among others, the C major Overture. Around the same time, Mendelssohn's "Italian Symphony" was written.