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Felix Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn's series of piano pieces carrying the tag Song Without Words was not originally conceived for voice, as some listeners often assume. The composer merely used the title to suggest characteristics associated with the music, such as its possible Romantic or emotional temperament, or its melodic material's songful character, a character that can impart to the listener a sense it has some implied or hidden text. But for all its lyrical flow, the music in this E major piece (and the others in the series as well) never sounds alien to the keyboard and never sounds like a transcription of a vocal work. That said, however, it is quite lyrical and songful, quite the stuff that could make for a beautiful vocal version. Yet the composer's deftly imagined writing fits the piano well, sounding quite Schumann-esque, even, in the intimate, Romantic character of the lovely, soaring melody whose beauties blossom at the highest points of its arch-like contour. Surely this is one of Mendelssohn's most memorable creations. The running figure in the left hand provides rather voluptuous harmonic support for most of the work's duration. The whole is mesmerizing and will appeal to an audience of wide tastes, from the initiated to the seasoned listener. Typical performances of this piece last between three-and-a-half and four minutes. (It should be noted that Mendelssohn composed a set of six songs as his Op. 19a, but none of them correspond to this piece or any other in Op. 19b.)