Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Mendelssohn, the older sister to the prolific and well-respected composer Felix Mendelssohn, was born in 1805. Though introduced to music at a young age, she was not allowed to pursue music as a career, restrained by attitudes towards women at the time. Fanny's father Abraham once wrote to his daughter, "Music will perhaps become his [Felix] profession, while for you it can and must be only an ornament." However, thanks to the encouragement of her mother Lea and her husband Wilhelm Hensel, Fanny continued to follow her passion. Eventually, she composed over 400 works, many of which have seen a recent surge in performance and recordings.
Check out these five tracks from Fanny Mendelssohn and be sure to listen for them on her birthday, November 14: Overture (The Women's Philharmonic; Joann Falletta, conductor), String Quartet (Erato Quartet Basel), Prelude and Fugue (Joanne Polk, piano), Piano Sonata in G Minor (Anna Shelest, piano) 6 Songs, Op. 1 (Susan Gritton, soprano; Eugene Asti, piano).
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland, born in 1900, belongs to the second generation of great American composers but would define and influence the sound of future generations. Copland showed a proclivity toward music from an early age. After high school, he traveled to France to study with the renowned teacher Nadia Boulanger at the American Conservatory at Fontainebleu. It was during his time in Europe that his career would take off.
Copland would become one of the most recognized American composers in the world, earning the title "Dean of American Music" due to his staunch advocacy of the production of new American music. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his ballet Appalachian Spring.
Five pieces to listen for from Aaron Copland on his birthday, November 14: The Red Pony: "Morning on the Ranch" (Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor), Clarinet Concerto (New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor; Stanley Drucker, clarinet), Old American Songs (The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; Hugh Wolff, conductor; Thomas Hampson, baritone),Prairie Journal (Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Slatkin), The Cummington Story: Suite (Eos Orchestra; Jonathan Sheffer, conductor). | 
