Songs without Words
Encyclopedia
Songs Without Words is a series of short, lyrical piano
pieces by the Romantic
composer Felix Mendelssohn
.
er), 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.
The works were part of the Romantic
tradition of writing short lyrical pieces for the piano, although the specific concept of "Song Without Words" was new. Mendelssohn's sister Fanny
wrote a number of similar pieces (though not so entitled) and, according to some music historians, she may have helped inspire the concept. The title Song Without Words seems to have been Felix Mendelssohn's own invention. In 1828, Fanny wrote in a letter "My birthday was celebrated very nicely ... Felix has given me a 'song without words' for my album (he has lately written several beautiful ones)."
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:
Mendelssohn also wrote other Songs Without Words not collected in volumes, and published only in recent years. Furthermore, original drafts exist for many of the 'Songs' many of which differ quite substantially for the eventually published versions. In 2008 the Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda recorded the most complete collection of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words for Decca Records
totalling 56 Lieder, some of them never recorded before.
Other composers who were inspired to produce similar sets of pieces of their own included Charles-Valentin Alkan
(the five sets of Chants, each ending with a barcarolle
), Anton Rubinstein
, Ignaz Moscheles
and Edvard Grieg
(his Lyric Pieces
). Two Songs Without Words (op. 10) for piano were also written by Mykola Lysenko
. Both Alkan and Rubinstein frequently included items from the Songs in their recitals. Ferruccio Busoni
, who considered Mendelssohn "a master of undisputed greatness", turned to the Songs without Words in the last year of his life for a projected series of recitals in London.
Book 2 was dedicated to Elisa von Woringen.
Song number 2 was written for his sister Fanny to celebrate the birth of her son in 1830.
Song number 6 was given the title Duetto by Mendelssohn, since two melodies were written to represent two singers. It was composed in Frankfurt in June 1836, soon after he had met his future wife.
Book 3 was dedicated to Rosa von Woringen.
Book 4 was dedicated to Sophia Horsley.
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
.
The Spinnerlied (Spinner's Song), has also been given the nickname the "Bee
's Wedding" since the busy accompaniment to the melody resembles the buzzing of bees.
Book 6 was dedicated to Sophie Rosen.
This book was published posthumously.
and piano by Mendelssohn was published for the first time after his death and was given the opus no. 109 and entitled 'Song Without Words'. It is not related to any of the piano pieces.
A piece for piano by Mendelssohn was published after his death under Op. 117, entitled "Album Leaf". Yet a further piece for piano by Mendelssohn was published after his death, without opus number, listed as WoO (i.e. work wthout opus) 10. Some historians believe these to have been intended for another set of Songs Without Words.
. Many others have made various arrangements of individual songs, including for orchestra, chamber ensemble, or solo instrument with piano accompaniment. One such example is the arrangement of 22 of the songs by Mendelssohn's student, the German violist Friedrich Hermann (1828–1907), for violin and piano.
There are also examples of recordings of transcriptions, for solo instrument and piano accompaniment, of Mendelssohn lied
er written for the voice, which have been entitled "Songs Without Words", for instance by Mischa Maisky
. No such arrangements were however made, or so entitled, by Mendelssohn himself.
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
pieces by the Romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
composer Felix Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
.
Composition and reception
The eight volumes of Songs Without Words, each consisting of six "songs" (LiedLied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er), 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.
The works were part of the Romantic
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
tradition of writing short lyrical pieces for the piano, although the specific concept of "Song Without Words" was new. Mendelssohn's sister Fanny
Fanny Mendelssohn
Fanny Cäcilie Mendelssohn , later Fanny Hensel, was a German pianist and composer, the sister of the composer Felix Mendelssohn and granddaughter of the philosopher Moses Mendelssohn...
wrote a number of similar pieces (though not so entitled) and, according to some music historians, she may have helped inspire the concept. The title Song Without Words seems to have been Felix Mendelssohn's own invention. In 1828, Fanny wrote in a letter "My birthday was celebrated very nicely ... Felix has given me a 'song without words' for my album (he has lately written several beautiful ones)."
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}
Mendelssohn also wrote other Songs Without Words not collected in volumes, and published only in recent years. Furthermore, original drafts exist for many of the 'Songs' many of which differ quite substantially for the eventually published versions. In 2008 the Italian pianist Roberto Prosseda recorded the most complete collection of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words for Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
totalling 56 Lieder, some of them never recorded before.
Other composers who were inspired to produce similar sets of pieces of their own included Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan was a French composer and one of the greatest virtuoso pianists of his day. His attachment to his Jewish origins is displayed both in his life and his work. He entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of six, earning many awards, and as an adult became a famous virtuoso...
(the five sets of Chants, each ending with a barcarolle
Barcarolle
A barcarole is a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style...
), Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
, Ignaz Moscheles
Ignaz Moscheles
Ignaz Moscheles was a Bohemian composer and piano virtuoso, whose career after his early years was based initially in London, and later at Leipzig, where he succeeded his friend and sometime pupil Felix Mendelssohn as head of the Conservatoire.-Sources:Much of what we know about Moscheles's life...
and Edvard Grieg
Edvard Grieg
Edvard Hagerup Grieg was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is best known for his Piano Concerto in A minor, for his incidental music to Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt , and for his collection of piano miniatures Lyric Pieces.-Biography:Edvard Hagerup Grieg was born in...
(his Lyric Pieces
Lyric Pieces
Lyric Pieces is a collection of 66 short pieces for solo piano written by Edvard Grieg. They were published in 10 volumes, from 1867 to 1901...
). Two Songs Without Words (op. 10) for piano were also written by Mykola Lysenko
Mykola Lysenko
Mykola Vitaliiovych Lysenko was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist.- Biography :Lysenko was born in Hrynky, Kremenchuk Povit, Poltava Governorate, the son of Vitaliy Romanovich Lysenko . From childhood he became very interested in the folksongs of Ukrainian peasants and...
. Both Alkan and Rubinstein frequently included items from the Songs in their recitals. Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni
Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian composer, pianist, editor, writer, piano and composition teacher, and conductor.-Biography:...
, who considered Mendelssohn "a master of undisputed greatness", turned to the Songs without Words in the last year of his life for a projected series of recitals in London.
Book 1, Op. 19 (1829–1830)
- No. 1 Andante con moto in E major
- No. 2 Andante espressivo in A minor
- No. 3 Molto allegro e vivace in A major ("Hunting Song")
- No. 4 Moderato in A major
- No. 5 Poco agitato in F-sharp minor
- No. 6 Andante sostenuto in G minor ("Venezianisches Gondellied" [Venetian Boat Song] No. 1)
Book 2, Op. 30 (1833–1834)
- No. 1 Andante espressivo in E-flat major
- No. 2 Allegro di molto in B-flat minor
- No. 3 Adagio non troppo in E major
- No. 4 Agitato e con fuoco in B minor
- No. 5 Andante grazioso in D major
- No. 6 Allegretto tranquillo in F-sharp minor ("Venezianisches Gondellied" or Venetian Boat Song No. 2)
Book 2 was dedicated to Elisa von Woringen.
Song number 2 was written for his sister Fanny to celebrate the birth of her son in 1830.
Book 3, Op. 38 (1836–1837)
- No. 1 Con moto in E-flat major
- No. 2 Allegro non troppo in C minor
- No. 3 Presto e molto vivace in E major
- No. 4 Andante in A major
- No. 5 Agitato in A minor
- No. 6 Andante con moto in A-flat major ("Duetto")
Song number 6 was given the title Duetto by Mendelssohn, since two melodies were written to represent two singers. It was composed in Frankfurt in June 1836, soon after he had met his future wife.
Book 3 was dedicated to Rosa von Woringen.
Book 4, Op. 53 (1839–1841)
- No. 1 Andante con moto in A-flat major
- No. 2 Allegro non troppo in E-flat major
- No. 3 Presto agitato in G minor
- No. 4 Adagio in F major
- No. 5 Allegro con fuoco in A minor ("Volkslied")
- No. 6 Molto Allegro vivace in A major
Book 4 was dedicated to Sophia Horsley.
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 formTernary formTernary form, sometimes called song form, is a three-part musical form, usually schematicized as A-B-A. The first and third parts are musically identical, or very nearly so, while the second part in some way provides a contrast with them...
with a codaCoda (music)Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...
. The left hand accompanies the melody throughout with a rhythmRhythmRhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
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
Camberwell Green
Camberwell Green is a small area of common land in Camberwell, South London. It lies at the intersection of Camberwell Road and Camberwell New Road/Camberwell Church Street. At the North-East of the green is Camberwell Magistrate's Court, and at the North West is a home for the elderly...
, being the place in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
where Mendelssohn composed it while staying with the Benneckes, relatives of his wife.
Book 5 was dedicated to Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann
Clara Schumann was a German musician and composer, considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era...
.
Book 6, Op. 67 (1843–1845)
- No. 1 Andante in E-flat major
- No. 2 Allegro leggiero in F-sharp minor
- No. 3 Andante tranquillo in B-flat major
- No. 4 Presto in C major ("Spinnerlied")
- No. 5 Moderato in B minor
- No. 6 Allegro non troppo in E major
The Spinnerlied (Spinner's Song), has also been given the nickname the "Bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
's Wedding" since the busy accompaniment to the melody resembles the buzzing of bees.
Book 6 was dedicated to Sophie Rosen.
Book 7, Op. 85 (1834–1845)
- No. 1 Andante espressivo in F major
- No. 2 Allegro agitato in A minor
- No. 3 Presto in E-flat major
- No. 4 Andante sostenuto in D major
- No. 5 Allegretto in A major
- No. 6 Allegretto con moto in B-flat major
This book was published posthumously.
Book 8, Op. 102 (1842–1845)
- No. 1 Andante un poco agitato in E minor
- No. 2 Adagio in D major
- No. 3 Presto in C major
- No. 4 Un poco agitato, ma andante in G minor
- No. 5 Allegro vivace in A major ("Kinderstück")
- No. 6 Andante in C major
Related works
A piece for celloCello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
and piano by Mendelssohn was published for the first time after his death and was given the opus no. 109 and entitled 'Song Without Words'. It is not related to any of the piano pieces.
A piece for piano by Mendelssohn was published after his death under Op. 117, entitled "Album Leaf". Yet a further piece for piano by Mendelssohn was published after his death, without opus number, listed as WoO (i.e. work wthout opus) 10. Some historians believe these to have been intended for another set of Songs Without Words.
Arrangements
Mendelssohn made piano duet arrangements of a number of the songs, namely those that became Book V and the first song of book VI, which he presented to Queen Victoria in 1844. Mendelssohn was also aware of arrangements of some of the earlier Lieder for piano duet by Carl CzernyCarl Czerny
Carl Czerny was an Austrian pianist, composer and teacher. He is best remembered today for his books of études for the piano. Czerny's music was profoundly influenced by his teachers, Muzio Clementi, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Antonio Salieri and Ludwig van Beethoven.-Early life:Carl Czerny was born...
. Many others have made various arrangements of individual songs, including for orchestra, chamber ensemble, or solo instrument with piano accompaniment. One such example is the arrangement of 22 of the songs by Mendelssohn's student, the German violist Friedrich Hermann (1828–1907), for violin and piano.
There are also examples of recordings of transcriptions, for solo instrument and piano accompaniment, of Mendelssohn lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
er written for the voice, which have been entitled "Songs Without Words", for instance by Mischa Maisky
Mischa Maisky
Mischa Maisky is a Latvian cellist.Maisky began studies at the Leningrad Conservatory and later with Mstislav Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory whilst pursuing a concert career throughout the Soviet Union. In 1966 he won 6th Prize at the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition. In 1970,...
. No such arrangements were however made, or so entitled, by Mendelssohn himself.
Sources
- Felix Mendelssohn, Letters, Philadelphia, 1864
- R. Larry Todd, Mendelssohn: A Life in Music, Oxford, 2003.