Fanny Mendelssohn, elder sister of Felix Mendelssohn, was a prolific composer and virtuoso pianist, but societal norms precluded a professional career.
Composition History
Felix Mendelssohn's String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80, was composed in the final months of his life in 1847, precipitated by the tragic death of his sister Fanny.
Critical Reception
Fanny Mendelssohn's String Quartet vanished into oblivion after her death until its score and parts were finally released in 1988.
Historical Context
In the conservative Prussian environment of the 1820s, women like Fanny Mendelssohn were expected to marry and play a private role as a Hausfrau, not a public role as an acclaimed celebrity.
Compositional Technique
Fanny Mendelssohn's String Quartet in E flat major begins with a tonally adventurous adagio that is more akin to a fantasy than a textbook sonata form.
Composition History
Fanny Mendelssohn's String Quartet, her sole venture into this male-dominated genre, dates from 1834 and was likely never performed during her lifetime.
Performer Biography
Richard O'Neill, the violist for the Takács Quartet, won a Grammy Award in 2020 and is an Emmy Award-winner and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient.
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