MUS 353 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16: Songs Without Words, Trochaic Tetrameter, Character Piece
Document Summary
The character piece, a new genre associated almost exclusively with the piano, is the instrumental counterpart to the song. A work of relatively small dimension, it seeks to portray and explore the mood or character of a particular person, idea, situation, or emotion. The character piece tends to be brief, sectional, and fairly simple in construction. Many follow an aba, aab, or abb pattern. By its very nature, the character piece operates on the border between programmatic and absolute music. Mendelssohn"s provocatively titled lieder ohne worter ( songs without words ) invite performers and listeners to imagine the nature of the words that the composer so pointedly omits. Mendelssohn himself was reluctant to elaborate on these works, letting them suggest the possibility of concrete interpretation while remaining abstract. Felix"s sister fanny mendelssohn hensel (her married name from 1829( composed numerous character piano pieces as well, including sets of lieder ohne worte. In her piano trio in d minor, op.
