H391

Klavierstück. Allegro Agitato in g minor

Fanny Hensel composed this work in mid-1843; it was the first piano piece she wrote during a productive creative period between two long compositional droughts in 1842 and 1845.

This piece—among her longer single-movement works at over 200 measures—demonstrates Hensel’s interest in exploring sonata form, and in deviating from expected structures. Instead of the expected two themes, this piece is built around three, with the last two reversed in the recapitulation.

It seems apparent that Hensel was working out ideas in this piece that culminated in her Piano Sonata in G Minor a few months later in Fall of 1843. This Allegro Agitato could have served as the first movement of that work; instead the Sonata opens with an Allegro Molto Agitato whose opening melodic line begins with the same falling notes.

This incredible work remains relatively unknown at the time of this publication.

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HenselPushers edition notes:

• This work appears in MA Ms. 86.

• Nov 23, 2023: Version 2.1 uploaded.