Forgotten Melodies, Op. 40

The title Forgotten Melodies reflects Medtner's habit of recording musical ideas in notebooks and later rediscovering and developing them into finished compositions. The three cycles of Opp. 38–40 emerged from these remembered fragments, transformed into highly integrated artistic works. Op. 40 is perhaps the most outwardly energetic of the trilogy, emphasizing movement and celebration rather than nostalgia or introspection.