Six Songs without Words – Set Eight

With B flat minor as its ‘home’ key, set 8 unlocked the door to some darker pieces, especially in the final piece of the set. Use the links below to see the first page of each piece.

The six songs are as follows:

Song no.1 in Bb minor – Tempo di Valse

Song no.2 in Db major – Moderato ma tranquillo (listen using the link below)

Song no.3 in D minor – Vivace e ritmico

Song no.4 in F# minor – Lamentoso con tempo rubato

Song no.5 in A major – Aquarelle: Allegro ma non troppo

Song no.6 in Bb minor – Grave

The set opens with a poignant minor key waltz, completed on St David’s Day, which is followed by a tranquil piece with a warm tenor register cello-like melody, which yields to a more scherzo-like middle section (listen to this song using the Soundcloud link below). Piece Three unashamedly follows a Vivaldian ritornello pattern, though quite what the Red Priest would have thought of the 11/8 time signature remains a matter of conjecture …

The fourth piece returns to a plangent mood and this is followed by a lively aquarelle. The final piece of this set is heavy in grief and reaches an anguished climax.