The Songs without words (Lieder ohne Worte) are a series of short lyrical piano pieces by Mendelssohn, written between 1829 and 1845 and presented in 8 volumes, each one consisting of six pieces. Most of these pieces are withing the grasp of pianist of various abilities, and this has contributed to the popularity of the set. Some other song without words were written but not collected in volumes, and only published in recent years. Furthermore, original drafts exist for many of the pieces that differ quite substantially from the eventually published versions. German musicologist Karl Schumann once described Mendelssohn's Songs as not simply "Pillars of the piano repertoire," but rather as "a household possession, as widespread in Germany as the Grimm brothers' fairy tales, Ludwig Richter's pictures, or Uhland's poetry ... and no less beloved in Victorian England." This book, the first, was composed in 1829-30.
