Mompou lost his mother in 1953, and following the death of a friend, he began composing music that was more introspective than ever before. Musica Callada is also a work composed during this period. The Spanish “Musica Callada” is sometimes translated as “Silent Music.” In the text appended to Volume 1, it is noted that the title is a quotation from the poem “La Musica Callada, la Soledad Sonora (Sounding Solitude, Silent Music)” by the poet San Juan de la Cruz.

This collection was composed between 1959 and 1967. It comprises four volumes, with 9, 7, 5, and 7 short pieces respectively, each no longer than two pages. In fact, many of the pieces were not written for concert performance but rather as if they were monologues. Only Volume 4 was dedicated to Larrocha.

I.

The melody is sung purely and quietly, like an angel's voice. Although no time signature or bar lines are indicated, the phrases are written in units approximately 7 or 8 quarter notes long.

II.

3/4 time, Lento. Dissonances are layered three-dimensionally. The soft timbre of consonances, glimpsed for just a moment within the ominous sounds, is striking.

III.

3/4 time. Against the calm and gentle melody in the right hand, the left-hand notes clash dissonantly. Tension and resolution repeat like waves.

IV.

3/4 time. A very simple rhythm is repeated, and the harmony subtly changes. It seems to contain sadness and suffering within it.

V.

3/4 time. Eighth notes are struck consistently throughout. These persistent notes support the music, subtly changing in volume and spacing according to the melodic expression.

VI.

4/4 time, Molto cantabile. The unstable melody, stringing together dissonant notes, sounds like the voice of a soul wandering in search of peace.

VII.

4/4 time, Lento. At the beginning, the left hand shows movement centered around F in the deep bass, followed by a prayer-like melody. Since there are many changes in time signature, play while feeling the sense of each meter.

VIII.

3/4 time. The right-hand melody is sung as if swaying left and right over the left-hand chords. A very short piece, about 40 seconds long. Where the sound movement ceases, pay attention to clearly hear the resonance of the sustained notes.

IX.

4/4 time, Lento. The left hand drops notes as if weaving through the spaces between the right-hand notes. Play while carefully listening to the resonance of the overlapping sounds. In the poco più mosso section, the atmosphere changes completely, and the sharp, brilliant sounds in the high register are striking.