The 'Songs Without Words' make up about a quarter of Mendelssohn's total of some 200 works for solo piano, and nearly half of the 75 piano works published during his lifetime.
Compositional Technique
Mendelssohn's 'Songs Without Words' combine a lyrical, song-like structure with the freedom of a character piece, featuring a melody in the upper voice and a homogeneous accompaniment.
Cultural Impact
Mendelssohn's 'Spring Song' (Frühlingslied) was a popular hit, with Clara Schumann having to repeat it multiple times at concerts, including three times for the Tsarina.
Notable Performances
The E minor Andante maestoso, known as 'Trauermarsch,' was performed at Mendelssohn's own funeral in Leipzig in 1847 in an instrumental version by his friend Ignaz Moscheles.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Felix Mendelssohn believed music communicates more precisely than words, stating that the music he loved expressed ideas "not too vague to be captured in words, but on the contrary too precise."
Instruments
The piano used for this recording is a Paul McNulty instrument from 2010, modeled after an 1830 Pleyel piano, a brand favored by Chopin.
Performer Biography
Ronald Brautigam, one of Holland's leading musicians, was awarded the Nederlandse Muziekprijs in 1984, the highest Dutch musical award.
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Songs without Words, Op. 19, No. 1 in E Major: Andante con moto
