Description
Op. 85, the seventh of the eight books of Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words, opens with this calm song moving at a settled pace. The collection appeared posthumously, and its first piece is an introspective miniature in which a gentle lyricism seeps through.
In F major and 2/4, it shows the beauty of song-like melodic line typical of the Songs Without Words, with room to let the melody sing at leisure. Writing so that one player takes on both singer and piano accompanist is the idea shared by the whole collection.
It is rated intermediate and compact, around two minutes long with 737 notes. The challenge lies less in finger speed than in the balance of volume that lifts the melody out of the accompaniment. The range spreads widely, from F1 to C7. Check which hand carries the melody with the hand colours, slow the playback and listen to the melody notes alone, then practise adding the accompaniment underneath at a lower volume.
A broad collection of standalone piano pieces not belonging to any specific set, offering hundreds of varied character pieces to explore and compare.
Browse all songs in Piano Pieces →Sheet Music
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.
View all works by Mendelssohn →