In Fanny Hensel's oeuvre, which encompasses more than 450 works, songs play a central role. They form the largest group of works and occupied her throughout her life as a composer: from the fourteen-year-old's first entry in a composite manuscript to her last work, written one day before her sudden death in May 1847. Together with the renowned lied singer Juliane Banse, G. Henle Publishers has selected 24 songs. Alongside op. 1 and 7, which were published during Hensel's lifetime with such well-known songs as "Gondellied" and "Warum sind denn die Rosen so blass?", our selection also includes rarely heard works and songs from all creative phases that have hitherto not appeared in print. In addition to autographs, the Urtext edition also consulted contemporary copies and first editions. The edition enjoyed the scholarly support of American Hensel specialist Stephen Rodgers, who also contributed the preface to the edition.