Album for the Young Op.68 No.36 "Italian Sailors' Song"
Robert Schumann (1848)
Description
From the second part, For Older Children, comes Italian Sailors' Song, No. 36 of Schumann's 1848 Album for the Young, Op. 68, which imitates a sailors' song with a distinctive rocking rhythm.
In G minor and 6/8, the swaying accompaniment suggests a boat drifting on the waves, while the melody has an open, sea-like breadth. With 848 notes packed into about ninety seconds, it is a busy, energetic piece requiring active movement in both hands. Its range runs from D2 to B-flat 5, within a 61-key keyboard.
At intermediate level, the task is to keep the fine motion going without losing the broad sway of 6/8. Thinking in the larger units of the melody, so that the downbeats are not buried even in the busy passages, gives it the flow of a boat song. Check how the work is shared between the hands in the hand colours, repeat the busy spots with the A-B loop at a slower playback speed, and restore the tempo once the fingers are at ease; liveliness and breadth then come together more easily.
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
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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