Description
The opening piece of the Album for the Young, Op. 68, which Schumann began in 1848 for the seventh birthday of his eldest daughter, Marie. The complete set of forty-three pieces falls into two parts, the first for small children and the second for older players, and it closes with a page of advice titled "Musical Rules for Home and Life."
In C major and common time. As the title says, what this piece has is melody: the right hand sings, the left supports in chords, and there is no further device. The range stays within three octaves, the hands hardly move, and eight-bar units follow one another plainly.
With around 300 notes there is nothing technically difficult here — which is exactly what makes it practice in building a song out of nothing but note lengths and levels of volume. Where the melody peaks, how a phrase is finished, keeping the left hand a level down so only the right is heard. What Schumann asked for first, in the first piece of the set, was the ear rather than the fingers.
A collection of 43 piano pieces Schumann gave to his daughter Marie for her seventh birthday — musically rich works enjoyable for children and adults alike.
Browse all songs in Album for the Young Op.68 →Sheet Music
Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
What this piece teaches
Melody in the right hand, accompaniment in the left - the most basic shape a piano piece takes. The lesson here is making the two hands sound at different levels.
How to practise it
- The hands arrive in different colours. Follow only the left-hand colour first, and learn to play the accompaniment quietly.
- In the right hand, join each note to the next with no gap (legato).
- Once the hands are together, listen for whether the melody is still on top of the accompaniment.
Practice guides using this piece
Reading the falling notes, and practising with them
What the position, length, colour and brightness of each falling note mean, plus the guide lines, the pedal display and the switch to sheet music.
Connecting a MIDI keyboard and using practice mode
How to connect a digital piano or MIDI keyboard to the browser, and how practice mode waits for the right keys - and what it does not check.
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 →