Description
A graceful B-flat major melody in 2/2, also used in the incidental music to Rosamunde, is put through five variations in this third of the four Impromptus D. 935 (Op. 142), composed in 1827. The set was published after Schubert's death, in 1839. It stands outside the three pieces Schumann heard as a sonata, a self-contained set of variations.
It is in B-flat major and 2/2. The graceful theme passes through five variations of changing character, including one decorated with fine figuration and a darker one that turns to B-flat minor, with technically demanding passages later on. It closes quietly, recalling the theme's gentle shape. At about eleven minutes and some 6,380 notes, it is the longest piece in the set.
Rated advanced, it spans more than 61 keys can reach, so plan on 76 or more. It calls for the expressiveness to give each variation its own colour and touch, and the structural sense not to lose the thread back to the theme over its length. The quickest route is to loop each variation separately with A-B and slow the playback to fix the fingering of the fine figuration. Checking with the hand colours which hand holds the theme in each variation shows how the variations are built.
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About the Composer
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Franz Schubert was a Vienna-born composer who died at only 31 but left behind a vast body of work, especially in the field of Lieder. Known for his gift for melody and subtle modulation, songs such as "Erlkonig" remain widely performed today. His piano works, including the Impromptus, are equally rich in lyricism. This site includes the Impromptus, Opp. 90 and 142, and the "Hungarian Melody."
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