author
Johanna Kinkel
1810–1858
A German composer, writer, and music teacher who brought art and politics together in the turbulent world of the 1840s. Her life carried her from Bonn to revolutionary circles and, finally, to exile in London.
1 Audiobook
Acht Briefe an eine Freundin über Clavier-Unterricht
by Johanna Kinkel
About the author
Born in Bonn in 1810, Johanna Kinkel was a gifted musician from an early age. She became known as a composer, pianist, writer, and music teacher, and she built a career at a time when women faced strong limits in public musical life.
Kinkel is remembered especially for her songs, choral work, and lively intellectual presence. She helped lead a choral society in Bonn, wrote fiction and memoir-like prose, and took part in the democratic culture surrounding the revolutions of 1848 alongside her husband, the writer Gottfried Kinkel.
After the failure of the революutions, the family went into exile in London. There she continued to write and teach, turning her experiences into literature as well as music. She died in London in 1858, leaving behind a body of work that has drawn growing attention for its mix of artistic skill, political feeling, and remarkable determination.