Felix Mendelssohn
Andante con moto
in E Major, Op. 19 No. 1
from Songs Without Words

Mendelssohn channels his inner Bach in this piece, which seems to hark back lovingly to the first prelude of the "Well-Tempered Klavier." The piece rolls along in a charming fashion, a simple melody over arpeggios.

ID: 326
Felix Mendelssohn - Songs Without Words:

Andante con moto
Op. 19 No. 1

Key: E Major
Year: 1834
Level: 6
Period: Early Romantic
Andante con moto Op. 19 No. 1 in E Major by Mendelssohn piano sheet music
piano sheet music Piano score: Scanned score Download
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Wordless Eloquence

Mendelssohn was barely 20 when he composed this first of his “Songs Without Words,” and the youthful innocence resonates throughout. One could say that Mendelssohn channels his inner Bach in this piece, which seems to hark back lovingly to the first prelude of the "Well-Tempered Klavier." The piece rolls along in a charming fashion, a simple melody over arpeggios.

Background

The Songs Without Words are hauntingly beautiful, and also very accessible. Intermediate pianists can play many of these gems, and this undoubtedly contributed to their ultimate popularity. There are 48 songs that are grouped into eight codices. Mendelssohn intended the songs to remain without lyrics even though many of his friends tried unsuccessfully to add words to the compositions. Even Liszt was inspired by these pieces, and he honored Mendelssohn with his “Großes Konzertstück über Mendelssohns Lieder Ohne Worte,” or “Grand Concert Piece on Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words” for two pianos.


Forum posts about this piece:

"Cantabile" pieces by piulento
Hi there, I'm looking for a song-like piece to mainly work on my musical touch and sound (not looking to work too much on technique for this specific piece). Some ideas I had - Mendelssohn's...


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Downloadable piano sheet music from Songs Without Words by Felix Mendelssohn to print: Songs Without Words Op. 19 No. 1 in E Major (published in 1834)
Songs Without Words Op. 19 No. 1 in E Major, a composition by the early romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn. The piano score of this piece was first published in 1834 and is part of Songs Without Words by Mendelssohn.