Description
Reaper's Song, the eighteenth piece of Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68, written for children in 1848. It is the last piece of the first part, For Younger Children, and closes that set of easier pieces.
In C major and 6/8, it has a lively character evoking a work song sung during the harvest, with recurring syncopated rhythms suggesting the joy of reaping and giving the music a rustic, folk-like simplicity. It lasts about a minute with roughly 466 notes, and its range runs from C3 to C6, within a 61-key keyboard.
Short as it is, it requires crisp rhythmic control throughout, making it a good study piece for beginning pianists. Syncopation makes it easy to lose the downbeat, so counting the two large beats of 6/8 while practising is the quickest way in. Slow the playback, repeat the rhythmic pattern with the A-B loop, check the movement of both hands in the hand colours, and then raise the tempo to suit its bright mood.
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
"Reaper's Song". C major, 6/8, with recurring syncopations - accents off the beat - in a bouncing picture of the harvest.
How to practise it
- Count 6/8 as two big beats to the bar. If the syncopations make you lose the beat, listen at 0.75x and count along.
- Loop any passage where the rhythm wavers, clap it through on its own, and only then play it.
- Use the colours - blue for the right hand, and purple for the left, since the second track is empty - to see which hand plays on each main beat; knowing that keeps the rhythm from slipping.
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 →