Lieder ohne Worte

Historical context

Mendelssohn’s Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 30, emerged from his time in Düsseldorf. The composition of No. 5 in D major, for instance, took place there in 1833, as recorded in the book from that year. The following year, 1834, saw further development of the set, with Nos. 1 and 4 also composed in Düsseldorf, according to the book from 1834. Indeed, the book notes that a number of songs without words, including those that would form the second set, were composed by Mendelssohn during the winter of 1834-5, all while he was in Düsseldorf.

Drawn from Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix, 1809-1847; Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Paul, 1812-1874; Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Karl, 1838-1897; Rietz, Julius, 1812-1877, Letters of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy from 1833 to 1847 (1863); Lampadius, Wilhelm Adolf, 1812-1892; Gage, William Leonard, ed., 1832-1889, tr, Life of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1865) — public domain, archive.org.