The close relationship between Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and his three year older sister Fanny belongs to the extraordinary brother-sister relationships in the 19th century. The childhood of the two was characterized by the world of music: by piano tuition, by the compostion lessons with the famous Zelter and the choir rehearsals and finanlly by the Sunday concerts in the parental home.
When Felix went on his first long journey to England in 1829, first irritations must have occurred and continued during the following years. But music always brought them together again. How strong the hidden bonds between the two were can be gathered from the total breakdown that he suffered when hearing about her death; one will not be mistaken in assuming that his death, half a year later, was an indirect consequence of the loss in his sister.
The catalogue displays sources that allow well-founded conclusions to be drawn on many details.