As Wagner called him a "first-rate landscape painter," Mendelssohn demonstrated his talent in depicting scenes and composing program music.

In the form of these "songs without words," or Lieder ohne Worte, Mendelssohn expressed even inner landscapes and emotional portrayals. As instrumental pieces with song-like melodies, it is crucial to bring out the melodic lines clearly and perform them lyrically.

During the period when Mendelssohn was active, the piano became widely popular as a cultural pursuit, particularly among bourgeois families. Consequently, many pieces suitable for casual home playing were composed, and the Songs Without Words collection is one such example.

The Songs Without Words collection consists of eight books, each containing six pieces, totaling 48 pieces. Only up to Book 6 was published during Mendelssohn's lifetime. Book 7 was published in 1851, and Book 8 in 1867. When Book 1 was published in 1832, Mendelssohn titled it Melodies for the Piano; the collection came to be known as Songs Without Words only after Book 2 was published in 1835.

Many pieces have descriptive titles, but only a few were given by the composer himself. Indeed, Mendelssohn seemed to dislike the idea that adding titles might limit musical imagination.

Book 2

• 1. E-flat major, "Contemplation" / Op. 30, No. 1 (1835)
• 2. B-flat minor, "Anxiety (Restlessness)" / Op. 30, No. 2 (1835)
• 3. E major, "Consolation" / Op. 30, No. 3 (1835) - A short piece of 27 measures.
• 4. B minor, "The Wanderer" / Op. 30, No. 4 (1834) - Unusually for a Song Without Words, this piece is in sonata form.
• 5. D major, "The Brook" / Op. 30, No. 5 (1833)
• 6. F-sharp minor, "Venetian Gondola Song No. 2" / Op. 30, No. 6 (1835) - This is the only piece among the six in this book to have a subtitle given by the composer himself. While the tempo is slightly faster than the Gondola Song from Op. 19, it should be played maintaining a gliding fluidity. It is noted that "the two voices must always be brought out very clearly."