Description
A child asking for something is drawn through the repetition of a short, questioning phrase in "Pleading Child," the fourth piece of Kinderszenen, Op. 15. Since the set as a whole is written as an adult's recollection, what is here is less the child's own appeal than the view of someone remembering it.
Lasting about thirty-five seconds in D major and duple time, it brings the same figure back in different keys. Its defining feature is the ending: the piece does not resolve to the tonic but stops suspended on a dominant seventh. The question is left hanging, and it carries straight on into the next piece.
A beginner can read it, so light are the technical demands. What is hard is how to place that unresolved final chord. End it firmly and the question disappears; too softly and it turns vague. Build the phrases towards it gradually, then lift the hands leaving the last chord in the air. In a piece this short, the ending alone decides the impression.
A suite of 13 pieces Schumann composed in 1838, including "Träumerei," evoking an adult's poetic recollection of childhood.
Browse all songs in Kinderszenen Op.15 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Robert Schumann was a leading German Romantic composer born in Zwickau. His poetic style reflects his deep literary sensibility, and his wife Clara Schumann was herself a renowned pianist and composer. His pedagogical piano collection Album for the Young remains beloved for its simple yet evocative miniatures for children and families. This site includes pieces from that collection and from Kinderszenen, Op. 15.
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