Music is a gift
‘An original way to make a declaration of love or to put the children to bed.’ (Le Monde)
Singing with your fingers
SPRING SONG
Songs Without Words
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Opus 62, No. 6, 1844
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy gave his sister Fanny a lyrical piano piece for her 23rd birthday in 1828. She called it ‘Song Without Words,’ thereby coining the term for an entire musical genre. By 1845, the composer had written 48 such miniatures, which were successfully published in eight volumes. His sister did not lack lyrics. She described the compositions as music that is ‘sung with the fingers’ and ‘fills the soul with a thousand things better than words!’
The composition we have chosen comes from Book 5, written between 1842 and 1844. Mendelssohn dedicated it to ‘Dr. Clara Schumann, née Wieck.’ The name ‘Spring Song’ (Frühlingslied) for Opus 62 No. 6, which is still popular today, comes from a manuscript by the composer. It did not appear in the printed version at the time.
Our Musical box playing this melody:
NATURE SPRING
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All Melodies