Sehnsucht
Mrs. Sidney Pratten
The title of this piece -Sehnsucht (passion)- shows the descent of the composer. Mrs. Sidney Pratten, also known as Catharina Josepha Pelzer (1821- 1895) came from Germany. Refer to the description of Eventide for some more biographical data of Mrs. Pratten.
In the Victorian age, passion was an emotion which should be kept hidden, let alone the physical passion which was practiced in the back rooms and the luxury brothels of the upper class.
The atmosphere of this piece is a quiet melancholic longing rather than pure passion. It's a Valse Triste. The main theme appears three times, with an intermezzo and a coda in the end.