Oxford University Press The Songs of Fanny Hensel

Fanny Hensel created some of the most imaginative and original music of her era, making her arguably the most gifted female composer of the nineteenth century. While Hensel has finally stepped out of the shadow of her famous brother, Felix Mendelssohn, as scholars have begun to study her life and writings, her music has remained surprisingly underexamined. This collection places Hensel's music at the center, focusing on the genre that not only made up more than half of her creative output but also, as Hensel herself put it, "suits her best": song. In eleven new essays, leading scholars in the fields of music theory and musicology consider Hensel's songs from a wide range of angles, covering topics such as Hensel's fascination with particular poets and poetic themes; her innovative harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, and textual strategies; and her connection to larger literary and musical trends. The chapters also provide insight into Hensel's efforts to break free from the constraints placed on her as a woman and her place in the larger history of the nineteenth-century Lied. Drawing on diverse biographical, historical, cultural, and musical contexts for their detailed discussions of Hensel's songs, the authors underline Hensel's historical importance and deepen our understanding and appreciation of her compositions. This volume, in short, finally gives Fanny Hensel and her songs the stage that they deserve. Review A celebration of Fanny Hensel's contribution to early nineteenth-century Lieder has come nearly two centuries too late for her, but none too soon for us. This marvelous collection breaks through to the richness and astonishing originality of Hensel's songs, many of which still await publication. Songs of the forest, of the evening, of travel, of love both lived and lost express the breadth of Hensel's poetic range. Her preternatural capacity for capturing words in music, her uncommon tonal adventures, her unusual modes of closure-all these attributes emerge within the context of superb textual, historical, and musical analyses. The Songs of Fanny Hensel welcomes this composer into the classroom and the concert hall, and it secures her rightful place at the heart of the great Romantic Lieder tradition. ― Janet Schmalfeldt, Professor Emeritus of Music, Tufts University A superb collection of essays from some of the world's leading experts on song. Fanny Hensel's Lieder finally receive the first-class scholarship they so richly deserve. ― Matt BaileyShea, University of Rochester About the Author Stephen Rodgers is Professor of Music Theory and Musicianship at the University of Oregon. He writes about the relationship between music and poetry, focusing especially on the songs of nineteenth-century composers such as Franz Schubert, Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann. He is also active as a tenor and has performed several lecture-recitals throughout the United States.