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Songs Without Words
Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte) is a series of short, lyrical piano pieces by the Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Composition and reception
The eight volumes of Songs Without Words, each consisting of six "songs" (Lieder), were written at various points throughout Mendelssohn's life, and all were published separately; two were published posthumously. The piano became increasingly popular in Europe during this era, where it became the focal point of many middle-class households. The pieces are within the grasp of pianists of various abilities and this undoubtedly contributed to their popularity. This great popularity has caused many critics to under-rate their musical value.
The first volume was published by Novello in London (1832) as Original Melodies for the Pianoforte, but the later volumes used the title Songs Without Words.
Mendelssohn himself resisted attempts to interpret the Songs too literally, and objected when his friend Souchay sought to put words to them to make them literal songs:What the music I love expresses to me, is not thought too indefinite to put into words, but on the contrary, too definite. {Mendelssohn's own italics}
Songs Without Words Book 5, Op. 62 (1842–1844)
No. 1 Andante espressivo in G major, in 4/4 time. As with many of the Songs without Words, this is in ternary form with a coda. The left hand accompanies the melody throughout with a rhythm of one quaver followed by six semiquavers.
No. 2 Allegro con fuoco in B-flat major
No. 3 Andante maestoso in E minor ("Trauermarsch")
No. 4 Allegro con anima in G major ("Morning Song")
No. 5 Andante con moto in A minor ("Venezianisches Gondellied" or Venetian Boat Song No. 3)
No. 6 Allegretto grazioso in A major ("Frühlingslied" or "Spring Song")
Song No. 6 Spring Song was also known in England as Camberwell Green, being the place in London where Mendelssohn composed it while staying with the Benneckes, relatives of his wife.
Book 5 was dedicated to Clara Schumann.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Songs Without Words.
