Description
The final piece of the four Impromptus D. 899 (Op. 90), completed in 1827. Like No. 3, it was not published until 1857, long after Schubert's death. With its glittering cascades of broken chords, it is one of the best loved of the four.
Its home key is A-flat major, but it opens in the colour of A-flat minor, with broken chords tumbling down from the treble. Beneath them a broad melody emerges in the left hand's tenor register and is sung with the chords of the theme. The middle section turns to C-sharp minor with growing intensity before the opening flow returns, a ternary design. At about seven minutes forty seconds it has some 5,843 notes.
Rated advanced, its range exceeds a 61-key keyboard, so 76 keys or more suit it. It demands the technical stamina to keep the fingerwork fine while making the melody sing, and the real challenge is keeping the melody from being buried in the arpeggios. Use the hand colours to see which hand carries the tune, slow the playback to make the broken chords light and even, and then concentrate on the middle section with the A-B loop.
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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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