Andante espressivo felix mendelssohn biography

Background

Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1809. As well as composing, he was also a pianist, organist and conductor, and enjoyed considerable success across Europe.

He played a vital role in encouraging the rediscovery of the music of J.S. Bach: he conducted a performance of the St. Matthew Passion in Berlin in 1829 at only twenty years old – remarkably, the piece had not been performed at all since Bach’s death in 1750.

His Lieder ohne Worte, (Songs without Words) comprise eight separate collections of pieces.

They are tremendously popular with pupils and teachers alike, due to their stunning lyricism, delightful harmony and, in comparison with much romantic piano repertoire, their relative ease to learn.

Pupil Match & Suitability

There should be no doubt that pupils with larger hands will find this work considerably more manageable.

The left hand requires considerable dexterity – the arpeggio figuration