The musical thought and practice of canonical composers.What can music tell us - without words? Can it depict scenes, narrate stories,elucidate beliefs? And can it be an instrument through which we accessthe inner lives not only of musicians from the past but of ourselves, today?In 'Ohne Worte' five scholars and performers probe these and related questionsto illuminate both the experience and performance of nineteenthcenturymusic. Drawing on a rich range of sources, they reveal the musicalthought and practice of canonical composers like Berlioz, Mendelssohn,and Schumann. Their work challenges us to reconsider our musical practicesand the voices manifested in them, and it encourages the creation ofan art that is both historical and transcendental.