Hidden Music: The Life of Fanny Mendelssohn [Library Binding]

Gloria Kamen (Author)

Book Description

Describes the life of Felix Mendelssohn's sister, a highly talented composer in her own right.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. The older sister of Felix Mendelssohn, Fanny was an accomplished musician and composer in her own right. However, born to a wealthy family in nineteenth-century Germany, she found it impossible to pursue a career in music. Instead, the dutiful wife and mother watched her brother grow away from her as he achieved fame, and she struggled to continue writing and performing, eventually publishing some of her music. The many quotations from letters give Fanny a voice: "If only once I could have as many rehearsals as I wanted! I really believe I have the talent for working out pieces and making the interpretation clear to people. But oh, the dilettantes." The epilogue introduces 14 women who have composed or conducted music since Fanny Mendelssohn's death in 1847. Ink-and-watercolor illustrations (not seen) by Kamen will appear in the finished book. Carolyn Phelan

Product Details

• Library Binding: 82 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068931714X
• ISBN-13: 978-0689317149
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,511,601 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Teaching Tool!, October 13, 2006

By 

Eric Garland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hidden Music: The Life of Fanny Mendelssohn (Library Binding)

This book is special because it is one of the few books on classical, women composers aimed at middle school students. It explains in clear prose Fanny Mendelssohn's life and why she was not as famous as her brother, even though she was probably just as talented. Kamen examines the social structures that made it nearly impossible for women to perform and publish music without being looked at as plebeian. Although Kamen is slightly simplistic in her blaming of Fanny's brother, father and husband for her lack of fame, the book is aimed at middle school where a more complete, and therefor complex view of the situation might be too sophisticated for the average student to grasp. This book would be perfect for a middle school student interested in music to read, a music class to read as part of their study of the classical period, or any class that wishes to study the social status of women in the nineteenth century.