Abendständchen

Felix Mendelssohn's Abendständchen is a secular German partsong for TTBB choir. The text expresses a tender lullaby, speaking of peaceful sleep while the world outside grows quiet and lonely. Golden stars ascend above, and a shepherd watches over all. The music is imagined to ascend and descend like ladders of gold, carried by the wind to the sleeping child, who dreams of their sweet song. Mendelssohn was a prolific composer of Lieder and choral music, and this piece showcases his lyrical gift for setting intimate German poetry.