Songs without Words, Book I

Mendelssohn liked to claim that the seed of the Songs without Words was sown in a game he and his sister used to play as children, concocting their own lyrics to existing piano pieces. Whatever the truth, he would compose these piano miniatures throughout his career. The first book of six songs was published in 1832; it was to be followed by five more during his lifetime and a further two after his death. The opening song presents a luminous, long-breathed melody over a gently strummed accompaniment, while the mood darkens slightly in the minor-key second. The fanfares of the vivacious third evoke the thrill of the hunt and contrast with the unassuming melody of the fourth and the agitated fifth. The final song in the set is the first of Mendelssohn’s “Venetian Gondola Songs”, in which the gently rocking barcarolle rhythm vividly illustrates the lapping waters of the lagoon.