Description
Entitled simply "Little Piece" — in effect, given no title at all. This is No. 5 of the Album for the Young, Op. 68. Schumann's titles usually announce a character; here he deliberately indicates nothing and leaves the matter to the music.
The right hand takes continuously moving figuration with the melody woven inside it, while the left supports the common-time C major beat in chords. Around 280 notes fill about a minute and a half, within a three-octave span.
Making the melody heard inside that moving figuration is the challenge. Play every note at the same weight and it becomes an exercise. Give a shade more weight to the melodic notes and let the rest run as background. This way of writing — one hand holding two roles — recurs throughout Schumann's larger works, and this is where the practice of it begins.
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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