Description
The best-known melody in all of Schumann, "Träumerei" — Reverie — is the seventh piece of Kinderszenen, Op. 15. Written as one of thirteen, it is overwhelmingly played on its own, and is familiar too in arrangements for violin and cello.
Its construction is simple: in F major and common time, an eight-bar theme returns four times through changing keys and harmonies. The whole rises gently towards a single note at the melodic peak and descends quietly from it, and that one peak is the entire design. There are only about 340 notes.
The intermediate rating is about interpretation, not technique; there is almost nothing difficult for the fingers. Where to bend the tempo, how to place the note at the peak, how far to let the inner voices be heard — there is no single answer, and the performances people call great differ most from one another. The reliable order is to play it without rubato first, then decide where you want to spend the time.
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
What this piece teaches
The goal of this path: Träumerei. F major, 4/4: a short theme returning again and again in changing keys and harmonies. There is little technically hard in it; the task is deciding for yourself how to bend the tempo and how much of the inner voices to let through.
How to practise it
- First play it through in strict time; only then decide where you want to spend time.
- Each time the theme returns, find in the falling notes where the melody reaches its highest note, and think about how to place that one note.
- This piece has no score view. Practise with your own copy of the score beside the falling notes.
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.
View all works by Schumann →