Songs without words

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Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, creator of the famous songs without words

The title Songs without Words is inextricably linked with 48 lyrical piano pieces by the composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy , which were published in eight volumes of six numbers each. The name, which is perhaps a self-creation of the composer, perhaps goes back to his sister Fanny Hensel , stands for character pieces of a song-like nature.

Musical characteristics

The musical characteristics of Mendelssohn's songs without words include “narrative tone, linguistic quality, easily comprehensible and lyrical melodies, clear form”. In most cases, vocal melodies sound over continuous accompanying formulas - the sophisticated figurations bring numerous compositions close to virtuoso concert studies . Choral movements are less common . The design usually follows the three-part song form , whereby (in contrast to many other character pieces of the 19th century) hardly any contrast is sought between the parts. In some pieces the melody runs through from beginning to end; other “songs” begin and end with the accompanying movement layer; a third type has short, cadenced preludes and epilogues, so-called “preludes” and “appendices”. The poetic idea is in the foreground over the thematic work.

The eight collections

Booklet 1 (1832) was initially called Melodies for the Piano-Forte , while Booklet 2 (1835) was called Songs without Words from the start . Issues 3–6 appeared in 1837–1845, and only years after Mendelssohn's death, issues 7 and 8. The MWV numbers (the numbers in the Mendelssohn catalog raisonné ) indicate the order in which the individual pieces were created and the context in which they were created.

Book 1 op.19 (MWV SD 5)

  • Andante con moto in E major op.19 no.1 (MWV U 86)
  • Andante espressivo in A minor, Op. 19 No. 2 (MWV U 80)
  • Molto allegro e vivace in A major op.19 no.3 (MWV U 89)
  • Moderato A major op.19 no.4 (MWV U 73)
  • Piano agitato in F sharp minor op.19 No. 5 (MWV U 90)
  • Andante sostenuto in G minor Venetian Gondola Song Op. 19 No. 6 (MWV U 78)

The six numbers in the first collection were composed around 1829/1830. The English first edition (London 1832) supervised by Ignaz Moscheles had the following title: Original Melodies for the Piano-Forte. Composed by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. The French first edition ( Romances sans paroles , Paris o. J.) and the German first edition ( Lieder without words , Bonn 1833) then brought the final title and the opus number 19. Because the Gesänge op. 19 for voice and piano and the Songs without Words op. 19 for piano have the same opus number, the former are also called “op. 19a ”, the latter“ op. 19b "called. In the Mendelssohn catalog raisonné these two cycles are listed under the summarizing numbers MWV SD 6 and MWV SD 5. The name Venetian Gondola Song (Op. 19 No. 6) is original. The popular name Jägerlied for op. 19 No. 3, however, does not come from the composer.

Book 2 op. 30 (MWV SD 9)

Venetian Gondola Song in F sharp minor, Op. 30 No. 6
  • Andante espressivo in E flat major, Op. 30 No. 1 (MWV U 103)
  • Allegro di molto in B flat minor, Op. 30 No. 2 (MWV U 77)
  • Adagio non troppo in E major, Op. 30 No. 3 (MWV U 104)
  • Agitato e con fuoco in B minor, Op. 30 No. 4 (MWV U 98)
  • Andante grazioso in D major op. 30 No. 5 (MWV U 97)
  • Allegretto tranquillo in F sharp minor Venetian Gondola Song op.30 No. 6 (MWV U 110)

Booklet 2 brings together pieces that were composed around 1833/1834 and was first published in Bonn in 1835; The title and dedication were Six Songs without Words for Piano-Forte composed and Fraulein Elise von Woringen dedicated by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy . The name Venetian Gondola Song (op. 30 No. 6) is original.

Book 3 op.38 (MWV SD 16)

  • Con moto E flat major op.38 No. 1 (MWV U 121)
  • Allegro non troppo in C minor, Op. 38 No. 2 (MWV U 115)
  • Presto e molto vivace in E major op.38 No. 3 (MWV U 107)
  • Andante in A major op.38 No. 4 (MWV U 120)
  • Agitato in A minor, Op. 38 No. 5 (MWV U 137)
  • Andante con moto A flat major Duet op.38 No. 6 (MWV U 119)

Issue 3 was created around 1836/1837 and was immediately published (Bonn 1837). The dedication was again to Elise von Woringen, the daughter of the Düsseldorf lawyer Otto von Woringen, who promoted Mendelssohn. The name Duett (op. 38 No. 6) is original.

Book 4 op.53 (MWV SD 23)

  • Andante con moto A flat major op.53 no.1 (MWV U 143)
  • Allegro non troppo E flat major op.53 no.2 (MWV U 109)
  • Presto agitato in G minor, Op. 53 No. 3 (MWV U 144)
  • Adagio in F major op.53 no.4 (MWV U 114)
  • Allegro con fuoco in A minor folk song op.53 no.5 (MWV U 153)
  • Molto Allegro vivace in A major op.53 No. 6 (MWV U 154)

These six pieces were written around 1839–1841; The dedicatee of the first edition (Bonn 1841) was Sophy Horsley. The name Volkslied (op. 53 No. 5) is original.

Issue 5 op. 62 (MWV SD 29)

  • Andante espressivo in G major op.62 no.1 (MWV U 185)
  • Allegro con fuoco in B flat major op.62 no.2 (MWV U 181)
  • Andante maestoso in E minor, Op. 62 No. 3 (MWV U 177)
  • Allegro con anima in G major op.62 no.4 (MWV U 175)
  • Andante con moto in A minor Venetian Gondola Song op.62 no.5 (MWV U 151)
  • Allegretto grazioso in A major op.62 no.6 (MWV U 161)

The six pieces in volume 5 were written around 1842–1844; Mendelssohn dedicated the first edition (Bonn 1844) to “ Dr. Clara Schumann b. Wieck ". The name Venetian Gondola Song (op. 62 No. 5) is original. The popular name Funeral March for op. 62 No. 3, however, does not come from the composer. The popular name Spring Song for op. 62 No. 6 goes back to a handwriting of the composer, but was not adopted by the composer in the print version.

Issue 6 op. 67 (MWV SD 32)

  • Andante in E flat major, Op. 67 No. 1 (MWV U 180)
  • Allegro leggiero in F sharp minor op.67 no.2 (MWV U 145)
  • Andante tranquillo in B flat major, Op. 67 No. 3 (MWV U 102)
  • Presto in C major op.67 no.4 (MWV U 182)
  • Moderato in B minor op.67 no.5 (MWV U 184)
  • Allegro non troppo in E major, Op. 67 No. 6 (MWV U 188)

The six pieces of this last collection compiled and edited by Mendelssohn himself were composed around the years 1843–1845; the dedication of the first edition (Bonn 1845) was dedicated to Sophie Rosen, the fiancé of the London-based diplomat and good friend Carl Klingemann . The popular name Spinnerlied for op. 67 No. 4 does not come from the composer.

Issue 7 op.85 (MWV SD 46)

  • Andante espressivo in F major, Op. 85 No. 1 (MWV U 189)
  • Allegro agitato A minor op.85 No. 2 (MWV U 101)
  • Presto in E flat major op.85 No. 3 (MWV U 111)
  • Andante sostenuto in D major op.85 No. 4 (MWV U 190)
  • Allegretto in A major op.85 No. 5 (MWV U 191)
  • Allegretto con moto in B flat major, Op. 85 No. 6 (MWV U 155)

Issue 7, which includes compositions from the years 1834–1845, was only compiled and published several years after Mendelssohn's death (Bonn 1851).

Volume 8 op.102 (MWV SD 54)

  • Andante in E minor, Op. 102 No. 1 (MWV U 162)
  • Adagio in D major op.102 no.2 (MWV U 192)
  • Presto in C major children's piece, op.102 no.3 (MWV U 195)
  • Andante in G minor, Op. 102 No. 4 (MWV U 152)
  • Allegro vivace in A major children's piece op.102 No. 5 (MWV U 194)
  • Andante in C major op.102 no.6 (MWV U 172)

The six pieces in volume 8 were composed around 1842–1845 and compiled and published over 20 years after Mendelssohn's death (Bonn 1868); the suggestion for this came from Karl Mendelssohn Bartholdy , the composer's eldest son. The manuscripts of the pieces Op. 102 No. 3 and op. 102 No. 5 each have the title Kinderstück . So these two numbers don't actually belong to the genre of songs without words .

Prehistory, Context and Post-history

Immediate forerunners of the songs without words are the vocal etudes by Ludwig Berger , piano and composition teacher of the Mendelssohn siblings, and Ignaz Moscheles , loyal older friend and colleague. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's works include several songs without words for piano and one song without words for violoncello and piano that have not been included in the collections . His sister Fanny Hensel contributed a number of compositions that are not called songs without words , but belong to the same genre, namely a duet for tenor and soprano. To sing with the fingers from 1832 and several collections of songs for the pianoforte and Mélodies pour le piano . In later years, several other composers, including Tchaikovsky and Schönberg , took over the title for their own works (English song without words , French chanson / chant / romance sans paroles ).

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  1. ↑ According to Reinhard Amon: Lexicon of Musical Form , Vienna 2011, entry “Song without words”, “Concept and highest mastery are inseparably connected with F. Mendelssohn Bartholdy”.
  2. ↑ In the Riemann-Musiklexikon , Sachteil, Mainz 1967, entry “Song without words” states that the “name” “should go back” to Mendelssohn; According to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , London 1989, article "Song without words", the term was invented by Mendelssohn and used almost exclusively by him.
  3. ↑ The editor Christa Jost writes in Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Songs without Words , Vienna 2001, “Foreword”, Felix had entered a piano piece with the title “Lied” in his sister's music album in 1828, and she wrote the composition in a letter to Karl Klingemann referred to as a "song without words" - so the term may go back to Fanny.
  4. ↑ Reinhard Amon: Lexicon of musical form , Vienna 2011, entry "Song without words".
  5. ↑ Willi Apel: Harvard Dictionary of Music , London 1970, entry "Songs without words".
  6. ↑ Riemann-Musiklexikon , Sachteil, Mainz 1967, entry “Curtain”.
  7. ^ The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , London 1989, entry "Felix Mendelssohn".
  8. ↑ All original titles and publication years according to Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Songs without Words , Vienna 2001, “Critical Notes”.
  9. ^ R. Larry Todd: Mendelssohn , New York 2003, p. 302.
  10. ^ R. Larry Todd: Mendelssohn , New York 2003, p. 491.
  11. ↑ See Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Songs without words , Vienna 2001, “Foreword”.
  12. ↑ Riemann-Musiklexikon , Sachteil, Mainz 1967, entry "Song without words".
  13. ↑ Renate Hellwig-Unruh: Fanny Hensel born. Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Thematic index of the compositions. Dissertation TU Berlin 1999. Kunzelmann, Adliswil 2000, ISBN 3-9521049-3-0 , p. 246.
  14. ↑ Hellwig-Unruh 2000 lists all of Fanny's compositions and describes that the composer was only able to start publishing her works late because the family and brother Felix refused.