PlayPiano
The short answer
The first song in a book that reached London before Bonn. Song Without Words, Op. 19b No. 1 is a song without words by Felix Mendelssohn from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.
- song without words
- Romantic
- gentle
Also known as Mendelssohn Songs Without Words (No. 1) Piano solo; Mendelssohn, Song without Words Op. 19b No. 1.
History
This is the opening piece of Mendelssohn's first six-piece book of Songs Without Words. The book appeared in London in 1832, with Paris and Bonn publications following in 1833. That sequence is part of the collection's early printed life, rather than an exact composition date for this first song.
Sources
What to listen for
A song above its support
Listen to the treble melody as a continuous singing line above the accompaniment.
How to practise it
Let the melody enter clearly above the established broken-chord texture.
- Settle the accompaniment before the melody enters.
- Keep the melodic entry clear without making everything louder.
- Follow musical voices through their staff changes.
How hard is it
A sustained singing melody over flowing accompaniment needs independent voicing, even support and carefully shaped phrase endings.
About this piece
- Collection
- Small scenes, big imagination
- Licence
- CC0
- Source
- musescore.com
More by Felix Mendelssohn
- Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85 No. 1Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
- Venetian Gondola Song, Op. 30 No. 6Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro
- Scherzo in E minor, Op. 16 No. 2Level 8, estimatedWith Maestro
