Description
The closing piece of Book I of the Songs Without Words, Op. 19, and the first written of the three titled "Venetian Gondola Song." A song without words is a piano piece written to sing while having no text — a form that is Mendelssohn's own invention.
In G minor and 6/8, the left hand keeps an accompaniment imitating the rocking of a boat while the right sings quietly above. The piece begins and ends as though approaching from a distance and receding again. It runs a little over two minutes with some 600 notes, stays within five octaves, and moves gently throughout.
It is rated intermediate, and the task is plain: to give free breathing to the right hand alone above a left hand that never stops rocking. If the left wavers the boat sinks; if the right is tied to it, the song dies. Practising the left hand alone until it runs unconsciously comes first. Change the pedal with the harmony of the accompaniment so nothing blurs.
A broad collection of standalone piano pieces not belonging to any specific set, offering hundreds of varied character pieces to explore and compare.
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Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a leading composer of the German Romantic era, celebrated as a child prodigy and instrumental in reviving interest in the then-neglected music of Bach. His piano cycle 'Songs Without Words' consists of lyrical character pieces that sing without text. This site includes seven pieces from that collection.
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