Chamber Music | Solo Instrumental | Vocal & Choral | Orchestral

Song Without Words (2016)

written one week after the US Presidential Election of 2016

Performer:

Joseph Prestamo, piano

Program Notes:

Felix Mendelssohn wrote eight books of short piano pieces entitled Lieder Ohne Worte (Songs Without Words). These modest little piano pieces enchanted me as a child. Without any context to understand the title, I always imagined that the songs had not been given words because the pieces carried a special meaning that couldn’t be put into words. The piano was my first love, and I return to it often when I am at a loss for words. as I found myself in November, 2016. So, taking a cue from Mendelssohn, I sat down at the piano to write my first Song Without Words.