I might be doing 30/6, but haven't decided. 19/2 is an option as well as a few Chopin (I didn't say that name in this thread) Mazurkas. I'm not really happy with anything right now and I'm not getting a lot of time to make anything better so it's probably going to end up being a throw a lot of stuff at the recorder and see what sticks.

I used quite a bit of pedal when I was working on 19/6 (it's in one of the previous recitals, 2 or 3 back I think). I think it all works really as it is speculation as to what is really meant by Felix on it. I do believe we can look at the title here as it's one of the only one's he did title and take that as an indication of the rhythm. I think most tempo's for it are too fast and I think I played it too fast in the recital attempting to play at the marked tempo. It loses that pole push I think it should have when played too fast.

Anyway. Best of luck working it out and figuring out your interpretations and have fun. It's a brilliant little piece.

What I didn't realize when I posted this painting so long ago is that Bach lived and worked in that building. His office was on the right just above the small arched gate. The building is no longer there.

Sam

Time to add your recordings of 19/6 to the thread Sam Smith and Bunneh. They were very enjoyable in the recital and should be here.

Here was my 30/6 for the recital: op 19 no 6

Currently, I'm giving a reasonable look (more than just sight reading through a bit and tossing it into the pile, kind of look) at 53/1. It is probably beyond me to get this anywhere near the dotted quarter at 92. andante con moto. But I'm still maintaining 19/2 and 19/4, although not polishing them up to a good recording yet and there's always 53/3, but I think that one is in the postponed pile.

Hey Sam - I first saw that watercolor of M's in a biography on Bach by C. Wolff - I had a sort of 'look upon my works and despair' moment - how accomplished he was -

OK, here's my 19/6:

Mendelssohn Song Without Words Opus 19 #6

53/1 and 53/3 are both good choices. I would dearly love to do 53/5, the "Volkslied". I love the way it is so dramatic. And there is always 62/3, "Trauermarsch", that I want to do some day. But right now I am working on 19/2. There are so many good ones that will just have to wait until I get better.

Sam

I read that biography too - which is how I realized that Bach lived and worked in that building. It's amazing how talented Mendelssohn was.

Sam

I like this recording....nice work HomeInMyShoes.........very sensitive

Best regards,
Johan B

Thanks Johan B. It was a bit of work getting it to that point.

Yep, 53/3 is a doozy. I love the quick triplets against the chords of the beginning, middle breaks and end. I'll have to look at 62/3. My familiarity with the Songs isn't the best outside of a few. 53/1 and 53/3 were completely unknown to me until last year really. The real reason I picked up an edition is still eluding me. A couple of attempts into 19/1 have left me feeling that my brain and hands are just not in the right place yet. But that failure has left me with a lot of wonderful finds.

It's nice to communicate with other musiclovers all over the world. I like that. I think you have the same love/addiction to pianomusic like me.

And indeed...sometimes playing particular, special compositions are a hell of a job......I worked today at Fantasie BWV904...very nice but hard to play it real good.

Since friday I have the diagnosis of Dupuytren's disease......made my pianolife more difficult......I knew it for myself but two days ago I got the official diagnose from a MD.....

I think I will make many recordings so long it goes.....but music will still be a way of living for me....

Best regards,
Johan B

I bought an album of all the Songs Without Words and listen to it every now and then. There are a lot of less well known ones that are very beautiful. 62/3 was played at his funeral. 38/6 was a wedding present to his wife - but I would need three hands to play that one.

Sam

^Which recording do you have. I've got the Ilse von Alpenheim recording, but I hadn't listened carefully to much of it prior to last year. Okay, 62/3 is the sometimes referred to as Funeral March (I'll say sometimes since I don't think it was one of the few that Mendelssohn actually gave word titles to).

Op. 62 looks like another great sequence if one was going to learn one set of the Songs. Op. 19 would be my other pick so far, but that's probably still because 19/1 is so high on my list to work on (and having three of the others reasonably under control makes it almost seem possible within my lifetime.

@Johan B: I'm hopeful that you are able to manage with the Dupuytren's. Addiction is a good way to describe music.

I have the recording by Nagy - it's pretty good.

62/3 was named by Mendelssohn I think - Trauermarsch. Lots of big majestic chords. The hard part for me would be the triplet 32nd notes - not to be confused with the triplet 16th notes elsewhere. It's a "part song", which means that I can imagine it sung by a choir.

Which brings up the question of how many categories the Songs Without Words fall into. I can think of four at least:

1 - The boat songs - minor key, triple time.
2 - part songs - imagine them sung by a choir, sometimes with a contrasting beginning and ending, like 19/4 and 62/3. Mendelssohn was a master at composing for chorus.
3 - songs - an obvious solo vocal line, usually in the soprano but can be anywhere, with a pianistic accompaniment, like 19/2.
4 - the one duet, which alternates between melody in the soprano and the tenor. Maybe this could be lumped in with #3.

Any others?

Sam

My edition categorizes the songs as four types, but says that some feature one or more types in them. In general it defines the Songs as "a short piano piece in three-part (rarely expanded) song form (A B A) whose theme is songlike in character and has regular antecedent and consequent phrases of each length."

The four types in my book are:
1 - solo song (melody above the accompaniment)
2 - accompanied duet, which includes duetto and the venetians
3 - choral song (many part harmonies)
4 - more instrumental type (over the vocal lyrical quality of many of the first three categories).

Mendelssohn? - ICK!

Schubert? - ||: ICK! :||

(Schubert was fond of repeats...)

Sam

Just kidding - actually I like - um -um - what's his name?

I love Mendelssohn! Forgive me if I'm repeating what someone else has said, but I've only have time to skim the posts. Have you heard his two concerti for 2 pianos? They are fantastic!

Here's my recording of 19/6 from the recital! Still played on the digital, not the new grand... Gotta update this in a few weeks when the voicing is done and I have my recording equipment together. Thanks for listening

http://www.box.net/shared/fib64lpfan

Here's my recording of 19/2 that was just up in the ABF recital:

Mendelssohn Song Without Words 19/2

The subtle variations in each presentation of the theme made this difficult to learn. Each time the theme returns it is slightly different, and those differences must have been important to Mendelssohn - why else have them? So I did my best to keep them straight.

Getting this to about 90% was easier than the previous ones I have done. Either I am getting better or this one is a little easier for me - probably the latter. I still play it a little slow, and mistakes always seem to creep in.

So I have started working on 19/3, and it is very different. Molto Allegro e vivace, F and FF and big octave runs and chords. I think I can handle the allegro - not sure about the vivace part.

Sam

Sorry to revive an old thread, but I just heard a live performance on the radio this evening of Mendelssohn's 2nd symphony Lobgesang or 'Hymn of Praise'. I had not heard it complete for some years.

Incredible! It came on as I was driving home, I quickly ditched the car in the garage, and immediately turned on the radio when I got to the apartment. I tell you, there is not a dull moment, it held my attention the whole time.

One section in the last movement, 'I waited for the Lord', has been beautifully recorded by King's College Choir (Mendelssohn effectively Anglicanized), but of course female singers were used in this broadcast.

I love all of the Mendelssohn symphonies, especially the Scottish, but I do wish this wonderful piece -with an almost white-hot inspiration- would be more often performed. No Beethoven 9th of course, but that's a hard act to follow.

Don't miss it!

Thanks Jason, I've never heard his second symphony - I'll have to look it up. And it's been years since I heard the Scottish Symphony but it was always one of my favorites.

Looks like there will be at least two Mendelssohn selections in the upcoming ABF recital to listen to - both from opus 19.

Sam

It's been three months - time to revive the Mendelssohn Appreciation thread again.

Here is 19/3 which I submitted to the ABF recital XX:

Mendelssohn opus 19 #3

This is the loud and boisterous member of opus 19. It should probably be much faster, but that's the best I can do right now. I have a recording by Barenboim in which he plays it about twice as fast as I do.

It's a great training piece. I had never done octave runs before - there are two in this piece. They start out forte and descend, ending in piano. Very challenging and fun to learn. There are also big jumps in the left hand from octave base notes up to 4 note chords. I practiced those at different speeds and different rhythms - I still can't play them accurately. The ending is also challenging, with 16th note runs in the treble and the melody in chords in the bass. Starts out Fortissimo and fades slowly over 24 measures to pianissimo. That requires coordination that I didn't seem to have at first - eventually I caught on and was at least able to get through it.

Did I mention staccato? I should have. Lots of staccato marks sprinkled through the score - it gives the phrases character. The octave runs are staccato. It takes a good bit of courage to take the foot off the pedal and go for it. Sounds awkward at slow speeds, but as I increased the tempo it sounded better and better.

So it's a very challenging piece. It's also fun to play the loud parts. I think it's about grade 7.

Oddly enough, it wasn't that hard to memorize. The patterns are repeated over and over with different chords, and there are plenty of little things to use as memory keys (for instance, the first octave run begins on b and descends, using every black key).

So I would highly recommend this one because it's fun to play and it teaches a lot of techniques that are needed.

Next - 19 #1. I've got it about 2/3 memorized now...

Sam

I'm one of those who think that Mendelssohn always deserves attention.

I sing in a church choir, and for our last concert we sang two Mendelssohn pieces "How lovely are the messenger" from the oratorium "St. Paul" and "Lift thine eyes" from "Elijah".

When i found these boys singing Lift thine eyes/Hebe deine Augen auf I found it very beutiful and impressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoCYH3pZKHQ

Ragnhild

I just started watching the BBC mini-series "Middlemarch" that's based on the novel by George Elliot.

At one point Rosamunde (the prettiest girl in town) is sitting at the piano and playing Mendelssohn's opus 19#1. As soon as she starts my wife says, "That's your piece!". I was happy she recognized it from my playing.

Sam