Description
Composed in 1827 near the end of Schubert's life, this F minor piece is the finale of the four Impromptus D. 935, published after his death in 1839. Among Nos. 1, 2 and 4, which Schumann heard as a single sonata, it takes the place of the finale, closing the set by returning to the F minor of No. 1.
It is in F minor and 3/8. Over a quick, scherzo-like triple metre, a turbulent theme built on rushing triplets alternates with calmer, lyrical episodes before building to a passionate, Hungarian-tinged coda. At about eight minutes it has some 4,478 notes, and it ends dramatically with a rapid descending scale.
An advanced piece, it outruns a 61-key keyboard and needs at least 76 keys. A large work of over eight minutes, it tests the stamina and expressiveness to draw wide arcs of tension and release. With many fast scales and leaps, the surest method is to slow the playback to fix the fingering of the hard spots and work section by section with the A-B loop. Checking each hand's part with the hand colours keeps the notes even once the tempo rises.
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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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