Schumann

Schumann - The Merry Farmer (No. 10 from Album for the Young, Op. 68)

ABRSM Grade 4 – B2

Schumann’s piano music is a joy to play – it is full of inspiration, fantastic contrasts in mood and character as well as beautiful melodies and breathtakingly beautiful harmonies. This series of articles provides notes outlining how to approach learning The Merry Farmer, Returning from Work from the Album for... Read >>

Schumann - Album for the Young (Op. 68)

Schumann’s Album for the Young is a collection of delightful character pieces cherished by pianists at all levels. Composed for his daughters in 1848, the pieces are invaluable for developing both technical and interpretative skills. In this video series, Graham Fitch explores each of the pieces in the first volume... Read >>

Schumann - Von fremden Ländern und Menschen

Kinderszenen, Op. 15, no. 1

Schumann’s Von fremden Länder und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and People), the first piece of his Kinderszenen (Scenes of Childhood), is a poetic evocation of the dream-like world of children. In this article, the three strands of the music — melody, bass, and accompaniment — are studied individually before being... Read >>

Schumann - Sicilienne (No. 11 from Album for the Young, Op. 68)

A Sicililienne is typically a gentle, lilting pastoral type of dance. Schumann asks us to play mischievously, and there are opportunities for touches of humour in this piece. The biggest challenge is to preserve the pulse when moving between the compound and simple time signatures. Resources & links Click here to purchase sheet music form the Trinity College online store (external link). Click here to view open domain editions for these works (external link, see page 9). ... Read >>

Schumann - Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (No. 1 from Kinderscenen, Op. 15)

ABRSM Grade 5 – B10

Kinderszenen (Scenes of Childhood) is a set of 13 pieces written in 1838 in which Schumann looks back on childhood memories from the perspective of an adult. The opening piece, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and People) features a diminished chord on the second beat of the first bar. The player needs to colour the sound here to create a sense of wonder or mystery. The texture of the piece is typical of the Romantic style - a top melody supported by broken chords and a bass line (a counter melody appears in the bass in... Read >>

Schumann - Einsame Blumen (No. 3 from Waldscenen, Op. 82)

ABRSM Grade 6 – B13

Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), Op. 82, is a set of nine short pieces written by Robert Schumann in 1849. Einsame Blumen (Lonely Flowers) is a piece of extreme delicacy and beauty, requiring the performer to paint a picture in sound from the imagination. The right hand is constructed from two voices as though in dialogue, with quite extreme dissonances that only work at a soft dynamic level with careful voicing by the pianist. The quaver rests in the left hand accompaniment imply a light touch, but are not necessarily to be taken as literal silences; in her edition, Clara Schumann suggests... Read >>

Schumann - Knight Rupert (Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 12)

This article comes from our series on Quarantine Spots and shows how to use quarantining and other practice tools to approach two challenging spots within the work. Click here to find out more about quarantining and to view other works featured in this manner. Knight Rupert, No. 12 from Schumann’s Album for the Young, Op. 68, is a favourite recital piece for the intermediate player, and great fun to play. The rousing A section contrasts beautifully with the more lyrical B section. Come up with a story line from your imagination, but first do some research on... Read >>

Schumann - Erster Verlust (No.16 from Album für die Jugend, Op. 68)

ABRSM Grade 4 – B3

Describing the tender feelings evoked by a child’s first experience of loss, Schumann’s gorgeous miniature would not be out of place as a calming recital encore. It demands great sensitivity to mood and phrasing; light touches of pedal (not marked in the score) add colour. Resources & links Piano Exam Pieces 2021 & 2021, Grade 4 is available from the ABRSM online shop here. The syllabus upon which these Practising the Piano Online Academy materials are based is © by The Associated Board of the... Read >>

Schumann - Romanze in F-Sharp (No. 2 from Drei Romanzen, Op. 28)

ABRSM Grade 8 - B10

Robert Schumann’s Romance in F-sharp major, op 28 no 2, remains one of the composer’s best-loved short pieces for the piano. In ternary form, the mood is contemplative, serene and tender in the outer sections, somewhat turbulent and dark in the middle section. It is an ideal repertoire piece for the intermediate student. ... Read >>