Felix Mendelssohn
Allegretto grazioso (Spring Song)
in A Major, Op. 62 No. 6
from Songs Without Words

ID: 363

Playful Hands

Light-hearted, tender and graceful, this song was composed when Mendelssohn visited friends in London. The unconventional accompaniment pattern is said to have been improvised on the spot when the playful children of the house tried to drag his hands from the piano.

The melody can be found everywhere, which even includes Looney Tunes cartoons! Sam the Sheepdog punches Ralph the Coyote as a flautist plays the melody. Every time Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck gets conked on the head, the little birdies twitter the melody from “Spring Song.” Bugs even dances once, humming it while twirling and tossing flowers out of a basket he’s carrying.

Background

The Songs Without Words are hauntingly beautiful, and also very accessible. Intermediate pianists can play many of these gems, and this undoubtedly contributed to their ultimate popularity. There are 48 songs that are grouped into eight codices. Mendelssohn intended the songs to remain without lyrics even though many of his friends tried unsuccessfully to add words to the compositions. Even Liszt was inspired by these pieces, and he honored Mendelssohn with his “Großes Konzertstück über Mendelssohns Lieder Ohne Worte,” or “Grand Concert Piece on Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words.” The latter is for two pianos, and of course, Liszt gives Mendelssohn a pianistic workout in his own inimitable style.