ABSTRACT
There is no one single resource to turn to for Hensel’s letters, many of which remain to be discovered, transcribed, and interpreted. Please note that items included in this section include a minimum of one letter from Fanny Hensel. Scholarly work that includes only transcriptions/editions of letters sent to Fanny Hensel are found in the sections on her family and friends.
230. Alexander, Boyd. “Some Unpublished Letters of Abraham Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel.” Mendelssohn Studien 3 (1979): 9–50. ISSN: 0340-8140
Includes extracts from the correspondence between the Mendelssohns (Abraham and Lea Mendelssohn as well as Fanny Hensel) with the English Alexander sisters, who had become acquainted with both Felix and Abraham during their visits to London. The article largely focuses on the correspondence between Abraham Mendelssohn and Mary Alexander; upon Mary Alexander’s marriage, the addressee changed to her sister Joanna. Fanny Hensel’s correspondence with Mary Alexander, including Hensel’s setting of one of Alexander’s Heine translations (“Once o’er my dark and troubled life”) concludes the article. There is commentary from both Abraham Mendelssohn and Fanny Hensel on Wilhelm Hensel’s painting Christus vor Pilatus. Boyd Alexander provides much useful contextual framing between the letters, although his negative commentary on Fanny’s writing and general silence on Fanny’s compositions are perhaps unwarranted. The translations are excerpts rather than full letters.
231. Back, Regina. “‘Sonnenhelle Tage’ in Boulogne-sur-Mer: Das Wiedersehen von Fanny Hensel und Carl Klingemann im Spiegel ihrer Korrespondenz.” In Musikgeschichten: Vermittlungsformen—Festschrift für Beatrix Borchard zum 60. Geburtstag, edited by Martina Bick, Julia Heimerdinger, and Krista Warnke, 333–348. Köln: Böhlau, 2010. ISBN: 978-3-412-20625-3
See no. 121.
232. Citron, Marcia J., ed. The Letters of Fanny Hensel to Felix Mendelssohn. Stuyvesant, NY: Pendragon Press, 1987. 687 pp. ISBN: 0918728525
Citron’s groundbreaking edition transcribes and translates selected letters (150 of the 279 extant letters) from Fanny to Felix that are found in the Green Books held at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. These letters shed light on the nature of the relationship between the siblings. It remains the only substantial collection of Fanny’s letters that has been translated into English; the German originals are included in the latter half of this work. Reviewed in numerous publications, including Joachim Draheim, Die Musikforschung 43, no. 1 (Januar–März 1990): 93–95; R. Larry Todd, Music & Letters 70, no. 4 (November 1989): 554–556; Marian Wilson, Notes: Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association 47, no. 3 (March 1991): 751; and others.
233. Elvers, Rudolf. “Fanny Hensels Briefe aus München (1839).” In Ars Iocundissima: Festschrift für Kurt Dorfmüller zum 60. Geburtstag, edited by Horst Leuchtmann and Robert Münster, 65–81. Tutzing: Hans Schneider, 1984. ISBN: 3-7952-0399-6
Transcribes several letters that the Hensels—primarily Fanny, but also Sebastian and Wilhelm—sent from Munich to the family in Berlin at the beginning of their 1839–1840 journey. Describes numerous artistic and musical connections that the Hensels made in Munich, and sheds light on Fanny’s relationships with members of the wider Mendelssohn family.
234. Friedlander, Max. “Musikerbriefe: Briefe an Goethe von Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.” Goethe-Jahrbuch 12 (1891): 77–132.
As the title indicates, this article largely transcribes and comments on correspondence between Goethe and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. On pp. 115–117, however, appears a letter from Fanny Mendelssohn Bartholdy to Goethe (dated 1827), thanking him for the text “Wenn ich mir in stiller Seele,” along with comments on the resulting lied.
235. Gilbert, Felix, ed. Bankiers, Künstler und Gelehrte: Unveröffentlichte Briefe der Familie Mendelssohn aus dem 19. Jahrhundert. Tübingen: J. C. B. Mohr, 1975. 328 pp. ISBN: 3-16-836362-6
This work includes letters exchanged between many members of the extended Mendelssohn family during the nineteenth century. There are letters to, from, and about Fanny Mendelssohn Bartholdy/Fanny Hensel from relatives such as Henriette Mendelssohn, Lea Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Abraham Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Jacob Bartholdy, Wilhelm Hensel (and his sisters), and Joseph Mendelssohn. Reviews include William Weber, The American Historical Review 82 no. 3 (June 1977): 662–663; and others.
236. Hellwig-Unruh, Renate. “‘Ein Dilettant ist schon ein schreckliches Geschöpf, ein weiblicher Autor ein noch schrecklicheres . . .’: Sechs Briefe von Fanny Hensel an Franz Hauser (1794–1870).” Mendelssohn Studien 10 (1997): 215–25. ISSN: 0340-8140
Transcribes six letters that Hensel wrote between 1833 and 1846 to Franz Hauser, a Viennese singer who devoted much work to a thematic catalog of Bach’s works. A mutually beneficial friendship existed between Hensel and Hauser.
237. Hensel, Fanny. Briefe aus Paris: an ihre Familie 1835. Edited by Hans-Günter Klein. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 2007. 100 pp. ISBN: 9783895004803
Transcribes fourteen letters from Hensel to family members and friends during her travels in France in 1835, as well as four entries from Sebastian Hensel that were part of Fanny’s letters (here, included in a separate section) and a letter from Wilhelm with a brief addition from his sister Minna. Reviewed by Claudio Bolzan, Nuova rivista musicale italiana 41, no. 1 (January–March 2007): 122–123; and Inga Mai Groote, Forum Musikbibliothek 28, no. 2 (2007): 184–185.
238. Hensel, Fanny. Briefe aus Rom an ihre Familie in Berlin 1839/40. Edited by Hans-Günter Klein. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 2002. 135 pp. ISBN: 9783895003240
This volume, along with the Briefe aus Venedig und Neapel (no. 239), make available in print letters that Fanny wrote to the Mendelssohn family in Berlin, with interpolations from Sebastian and Wilhelm, during the Hensels’ trip to Italy in 1839–1840. The Rome volume includes twenty-four letters. Reviewed by Daniel Brandenburg, Die Musikforschung 57, no. 4 (Oktober–Dezember 2007): 412–413; Claudio Bolzan, Nuova rivista musicale italiana 37, no. 1 (January–March 2003): 134–137; and others.
239. Hensel, Fanny. Briefe aus Venedig und Neapel an ihre Familie in Berlin 1839/40. Edited by Hans-Günter Klein. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 2004. 117 pp. ISBN: 9783895003875
This volume together with the Briefe aus Rom (no. 238) publishes letters from Fanny to the Mendelssohn family in Berlin, with interpolations from Sebastian and Wilhelm, during the 1839–1840 trip to Italy. The Venice and Naples volume includes nine letters from before their arrival in Rome and seven from after they left Rome (and a letter from Fanny to Wilhelm). Images that were enclosed in the letters and sketches by Wilhelm Hensel are reproduced. Reviewed by Inga Mai Groote, Forum Musikbibliothek 26, no. 1 (2005): 90–92.
240. Hensel, Fanny. Italienisches Tagebuch, edited by Eva Weissweiler. Frankfurt: Societäts-Verlag, 1982. Second, enlarged edition, 1983. 187 pp. ISBN: 3797303920
This book assembles excerpts from Sebastian Hensel’s Die Familie Mendelssohn and Ein Lebensbild aus Deutschlands Lehrjahren as well as letters from the Green Books at Oxford. In spite of the title, it does not particularly reflect the content of the Tagebücher (no. 254). Seven letters from Fanny to Felix were first published here. Reviewed by Hans Kohlhase in Die Musikforschung 38, no. 3 (Juli–September 1985): 229–230; Cécile Lowenthal-Hensel, NZ: Neue Zeitschrift für Musik 143, no. 9 (September 1982): 78–79; and others.
241. Klein, Hans-Günter, ed. “. . . über jeden Ausdruck erhaben und schön”: die Schweizer Reise der familie Mendelssohn 1822, mit Briefen der Tochter Fanny, Tagebuchauszügen und Zeichnungen. Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2012. 170 pp. ISBN: 9783895008511
This volume on the Mendelssohn family’s travel to Switzerland in 1822 presents letters from Fanny and Lea Mendelssohn Bartholdy as well as diary entries from the children’s tutor Karl Heyse. There are also illustrations by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. In spite of the title, the focus of this book is on Fanny rather than all members of the Mendelssohn family. Reviewed by Benedict Taylor, Music & Letters 94, no. 2 (May 2013): 344–346.
242. Klein, Hans-Günter, ed. “Die Liebe gleicht alles aus”: Briefe der Zuneigung, Fürsorge und Trauer aus der Familie Mendelssohn. Berlin: Philo, 2004. 72 pp. ISBN: 9783865725127
A small collection of transcribed and edited letters from the immense correspondence that took place within the Mendelssohn family; the selected letters demonstrate various aspects of family relationships and expectations, such as parental care, participation from afar in family events in Berlin (for those who were not present), and mourning letters. The letter from Fanny Hensel to Charlotte Moscheles on the event of Abraham Mendelssohn’s death is included, as is the letter from Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy to Wilhelm Hensel on the event of Fanny’s death.
243. Klein, Hans-Günter. “Die Mendelssohns auf der Flucht: Abraham Mendelssohn Bartholdy und seine Familie 1813 in Wien.” Mendelssohn Studien 15 (2007): 199–206. ISSN: 0340-8140
See no. 50.
244. Klein, Hans-Günter. “Fanny und Wilhelm Hensel und die Maler Elsasser.” Mendelssohn Studien 13 (2003): 125–167. ISSN: 0340-8140
Fanny and Wilhelm Hensel met and formed a close friendship with the Elsasser brothers (Friedrich August and Julius) in Rome in 1839–1840. This article describes their artistic-musical interactions and transcribes sixteen letters that the Hensels sent to one or the other of the Elsasser brothers.
245. Lambour, Christian. “Quellen zur Biographie von Fanny Hensel, geb. Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Ein Schweizer Reisebrief aus dem Jahr 1822 von Lea und Fanny Mendelssohn Bartholdy an Henriette (Hinni) Mendelssohn, geb. Meyer.” Mendelssohn Studien 7 (1990): 171–178. ISSN: 0340-8140
Transcribes a letter from Fanny and Lea Mendelssohn Bartholdy describing the sights, events, and progression of their travel in Switzerland. Also includes a pencil drawing that Felix made of the town of Vevay.
246. Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Fanny, and Wilhelm Hensel. “Briefe aus der Verlobungszeit.” Edited by Martina Helmig and Annette Maurer. In Fanny Hensel, geb. Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Das Werk, edited by Martina Helmig, 139–161. München: edition text+kritik, 1997. ISBN: 3-88377-574-6
Includes twenty-one letters exchanged between Fanny and Wilhelm during their engagement, thirteen from Fanny and eight from Wilhelm, which are found in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin—Preußischer Kulturbesitz’s Mendelssohn-Archiv. These letters illuminate the internal and external difficulties that the pair encountered during their engagement as well as their developing emotional bond.
247. Reichenberger, Arnold G. “Federico Confalonieri as Seen by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel.” Italica 21, no. 2 (June 1944): 61–65. ISSN: 0021-3020
Reprints and comments on a letter of August 1840 in which Fanny Hensel describes the Hensel family’s meeting with the Italian revolutionist Federico Confalonieri in Bellinzona (while the Hensels were on their return trip from Italy).
248. Salomon, Birgit. “Die Komponisten Fanny Hensel geb. Mendelssohn Bartholdy nach Briefen, Tagebuchnotizen, zeitgenössicher Rezeption und Schriften.” In Komponistinnen in Berlin, 36–44. Berlin: Musikfrauen e.V., 1987.
Assembles a series of quotations from letters to and from family members and friends, Tagebuch entries, and memoirs to paint a portrait of Fanny Hensel, including her compositional activities and her Sonntagsmusiken. The first quotation (from a letter to Felix) is misdated by a decade, which detracts from its contextual meaning.
249. Schleuning, Peter. “Fanny Hensel geb. Mendelssohn in Boulogne-sur-mer.” In Reiseberichte von Musikerinnen des 19. Jahrhunderts: Quellentexte, Biographien und Kommentare, edited by Freia Hoffmann, 97–121. Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 2011. ISBN: 978-3-487-14437-5
Presents twenty texts that Fanny Hensel wrote during her visit to Boulogne-sur-mer, a resort town on the French coast, in 1835. The texts are a combination of Tagebuch entries and letters she wrote to family members and friends. There is very little mention of music in any of these texts, although Hensel did compose during this time; Schleuning speculates that she may have been in the midst of an internal crisis over composition at this time, which she was unlikely to express to family members.
250. Schmidt-Hensel, Roland Dieter. “‘An die Masern. Eigenhändig’: Briefe der Mendelssohn-Geschwister aus dem Frühjahr 1830.” Mendelssohn-Studien 17 (2011): 113–152. ISSN: 0340-8140
This article publishes letters that were exchanged within the Mendelssohn–Hensel household in the spring of 1830, when a measles outbreak meant that several family members needed to be quarantined. The letters from Fanny (who was not affected by the measles) to Rebecka (who was) are particularly numerous. Additional responses from Rebecka can be found in Schmidt-Hensel’s follow-up: “Masern bei Mendelssohns: Ein Nachtrag,” no. 63.
251. Synofzik, Thomas, ed. “Robert und Clara Schumann im Briefwechsel mit Fanny Hensel 1847.” In Robert und Clara Schumann im Briefwechsel mit der Familie Mendelssohn, vol. 1. Schumann Briefedition, 2: Freundes-und Künstlerbriefwechsel. Köln: Christoph Dohn, 2009. ISBN: 9783868460124
Two letters between Hensel and the Schumanns are found in the edition of the Schumann letters, pp. 311–316: one from Robert Schumann to Fanny Hensel (written largely on Clara’s behalf, because she was not feeling well), and one from Hensel to Clara. The blossoming correspondence was cut short by Hensel’s death.
252. Weissweiler, Eva, ed. “Die Musik will gar nicht rutschen ohne Dich”: Briefwechsel 1821 bis 1846. Berlin: Propyläen, 1997. 494 pp. ISBN: 3-549-05528-5
Weissweiler presents selected letters between Fanny and Felix from 1821 to 1847 (despite “1846” appearing in the title of the book). It is in some ways a competitor to Citron’s 1987 edition of letters (no. 232); Weissweiler includes Felix’s letters to Fanny as well as Fanny’s letters to Felix, thus filling gaps in the epistolary conversation, with a slightly different selection of letters. This book was criticized when it appeared (see no. 176) but is still a standard reference.
253. Weissweiler, Eva, ed. Fanny Hensel: Ein Portrait in Briefen. Die Frau in der Literatur. Frankfurt am Main: Ullstein, 1991. 250 pp. ISBN: 3-548-30171-1
Presents thirty-seven letters from Fanny to Felix in chronological order. Also includes timelines, sketches, and explanatory notes for each letter. There is also a chronology of the published Hensel works at the end. The tone suggests a more popular audience than one might expect. Weissweiler’s “Die Musik will gar nicht rutschen ohne Dich” (no. 252) covers similar subject matter in a much more expansive way.
