Hanna Behrens

Very little is known about the pianist and composer Hanna Behrens. The following biography is a compilation of the few pieces of information that I was able to gather from newspaper articles.

Hanna Behrens was born in 1915 or 1916, presumably in the greater Hanover area (Germany). Nothing is known about her musical education, but she must have started playing the piano at an early age, since already in 1932, at the age of 15 or 16, she gave her own piano recital in Hanover and performed works by Beethoven, Chopin, and Mozart. In the following year, another piano recital in Hanover is mentioned; this time she is referred to as Hanna Behrens van Holleben. On 16 September 1934, an interesting short notice then appeared in the Hannoverscher Kurier, stating that “several of her string quartets and a symphony are planned for performances in Berlin during the winter season of 1934/35.” However, I was unable to find any evidence that these concerts actually took place.
The last reference appears in 1938, mentioning another piano recital by Hanna Behrens in Hanover.

I now possess the autograph manuscript of the Sonata for Piano, Op. 1 by Hanna Behrens, which she dedicated to the pianist Elly Ney and in whose estate this manuscript was found. It is undated, but most likely dates from around 1932.

What surprises me is the fact that despite a catalogue of works consisting of at least one piano sonata, several string quartets, and a symphony, as well as piano recitals over a period of six years, no further details about Hanna Behrens can be found. An obvious explanation, of course, is that after these first career steps, Hanna Behrens died during the Second World War and that her manuscripts were lost or destroyed in the turmoil of the war.