*This post is part of a series on a cycle of short piano works by Felix Mendelssohn. Feel free to read the other posts, linked below!*
However, I want to share one of the pieces Felix Mendelssohn (hence forth "Mendelssohn" unless otherwise indicated) wrote as part of several cycles of short piano pieces called Lieder ohne Worte or "Songs Without Words." Generally, Lieder or "songs" are pieces for solo voice (often soprano) and piano or other accompaniment; these works for solo piano have no lyrics.
In all, Mendelssohn published eight "books" (opuses or opera) of Lieder ohne Worte, each containing six pieces. Today we'll begin looking at the Op.30 (Book 2).
In all, Mendelssohn published eight "books" (opuses or opera) of Lieder ohne Worte, each containing six pieces. Today we'll begin looking at the Op.30 (Book 2).
Lieder ohne Worte (Book 2), Op.30
2. Allegro di molto (b♭) (post)
3. Adagio non troppo (E) (post)
4. Agitato e con fuoco (b) (post)
Let's start at the beginning!
Marked "expressively, at a walking pace" (moderately slow), this calm opening piece is in ternary form, with two large repeated segments and a coda.
The piece spends only one bar introducing the ostinato triplet rhythm (green L.H., pink R.H.) that persists through all but three bars of the piece. The melody, warm and cozy (cerulean), superimposes the duple feel of a dotted quarter note-eighth note rhythm (𝅘𝅥. 𝅘𝅥𝅮) over triplets. The polyrhythms can be difficult to perform, but is beautiful when played smoothly.
The melody appears in two strains in the A section, first following a typical ii—V—I progression. Mendelssohn uses ii6 (f) instead of a root position ii, which allows the bass to move from A♭ to B♭ rather than from F. This smooths out the bass line (major second vs. perfect fourth jump) and allows for a more seamless dynamic arc — the sfz or "sforzando" in m. 5 directs the performer to pay with strong emphasis. The A♭ bass going from a single pitch to doubled (octave, m. 4) prepares the sfz, and the lack of another bass articulation for the rest of m. 5 allows the sound to relax in a contiguous fashion, drawing the ear towards the polyrhythm in the right hand.
The second strain of the melody is the same as the first for two bars, but the pedal note C sticks around, temporarily keeping the tonic there. Mendelssohn brings in some tension by digging into the minor vi (c minor), using its dominant G7 to solidify it. After two passes on G7—c, Mendelssohn uses a perfect fourth motion in the bass voice to return to E♭ major via a typical progression: vi—I64/V—V7/V—V—I (next phrase).
c minor (iv) has predominant function, and though B♭ (I64/V) is the dominant of E♭, debate still rages over whether to actually call it a I chord. I like to emphasize that it is a cadential I64; that is, its function is not as a I chord but rather as a precursor to the dominant as part of a perfect cadence (I64—V—I). That perfect cadence takes place within the dominant of B♭, so Mendelssohn just returns the A♮ (yellow) to A♭ to establish B♭ as the dominant again (B♭7).
In the first ending of the repeat, Mendelssohn continues in scalar motion with sixth intervals between L.H. and R.H., but again brings in an A♮ form a secondary dominant (F7 is the dominant of B♭7) in a V/V—V—I progression as V42/V—V65—I, ultimately returning to E♭. The consonance of the middle voices playing a relatively dissonant chord in an unusual voicing (the notes of the V65 (B♭7) are all densely packed in the tenor register) blends perfectly back into the repeated bar (m. 2).
I love how many times Mendelssohn falters from resolving all the way to E♭ even in this short opening — while the music is stylistically marked with Andante espressivo, tranquillo in m. 11, and a general feeling of warmth and homeliness, the harmony keeps wandering about. This wandering harmony is a good setup for the B section, which is led into through the second ending of the first repeat.
The B section, contains some new material in modulation, a return of the opening melody, and the new material in the home key. The modulation takes place over relatively sparse music, with several alternating chords occurring smoothly with thirds added in the R.H. part.
By turning G into G♭ in the second ending, Mendelssohn sets up a seamless transition to e♭ minor. At p, with octaves in this much darker key, Mendelssohn starts the R.H. ostinato triplet pattern with e♭ minor and establishes a new melody for the B section with a repeating rhythm for four bars in two two-bar segments. In the second segment, Mendelssohn changes the R.H. triplets to G♭ major, which makes that second occurrence both warmer and more grounded.
However, that grounding in G♭ does not last long — Mendelssohn does write a G♭ major chord, but uses it in second inversion as III64 (unstable), alternating with D♭7 as V7/III (the dominant that III64 wants to shift its tension to). The use of pedal through mm. 18-19 (start 
and end 
) and the return of the triplet figure (start is highlighted green) also increase the tension. Rather than resolving to III in root position, he throws the listener for a twist and chromatically shifts to D♮ for d°7 (vii°7, preceded by a suspension) to resolve to e♭ minor.
and end ) and the return of the triplet figure (start is highlighted green) also increase the tension. Rather than resolving to III in root position, he throws the listener for a twist and chromatically shifts to D♮ for d°7 (vii°7, preceded by a suspension) to resolve to e♭ minor.
He drops the tension as he leaves the unstable G♭ major by going from octaves in the bass (starts in green at m. 14) and switching to single notes (transitions from mm. 19-20). The tension again purely by dynamics this time — Mendelssohn has gotten rid of octaves in the bass, and the triplet pattern from the opening of the piece was established two bars prior. Repeated sfz markings emphasize the a♭ minor chords as the space between them closes ... and then widens with the diminuendo and drop to a single treble voice. That uses an f⌀7 chord, where two simultaneous resolutions take place (C♭—B♭ and A♭—G♮) to return to E♭ major for the second part of this repeat (highlighted with original color scheme).
In the second half of the B section, the A section melody returns for four bars in a slightly modified form. The maroon highlight in m. 26 shows a suspension of G over f minor just after going from first inversion to root position (ii6 to ii), ringing brightly over the bass, now in octaves. The music broadens with bass octaves, the return of pedaling, and the sfz suspension emphases in mm. 28-29. I personally love the resolution of b°7 to c in m. 29 and the two back-to-back suspensions in m. 30, as they make for a truly satisfying end to the B section. The performer is instructed twice in just four bars to play espressivo — this is reinforced through several performance indications and musical formulation.
The repeat to e♭ minor restarts the B section, and the second ending brings a new twist. Mendelssohn plays with dominants in the first ending of the A section, but here he uses dominants going the opposite direction around the circle of fifths. Rather than the dominant of E♭ (B♭7), he turns E♭ into the dominant: E♭7. He "resolves" this to a second inversion A♭ (IV64), lowers this chord's third (iv64), lowers this chord's fifth (d°7), and returns to E♭ with the same one-beat figure on V65 (B♭7) as in the first ending of the A section (see m. 12; shown in relief).
Mendelssohn brings back the opening motif of the melody one last time before a rising B♭7 arpeggio fizzles out in wisps, leaving only a brief closing with an expanded resolution to finish off the first Lied.
We'll have a look at the other Lieder in future posts! Share this post and leave your thoughts in the comments below!
All score excerpts taken from the Breitkopf & Härtel edition (Leipzig) via IMSLP.org.
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