H337

Notturno in g minor

Having never been to Venice, Fanny Hensel wrote this piece in the style of a barcarolle or Venetian boat song in 1838, before departing on her yearlong trip to Italy. The work bears similarities to the Gondelieder of her brother, Felix Mendelssohn, who had visited Venice before and shared his impressions with his sister, who eagerly anticipated the journey. She revisited the style in another work composed while in Venice, Gondelfahrt H345.

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HenselPushers edition notes:

• This work appears in MA Ms. 44.

• In the comments below, there has been a lot of discussion about alternate interpretations of the manuscript. You can see some details from the manuscript here to decide on your own interpretation of this piece!