Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Robert Schumann and his works. :)

Agreed. Very underrated considering the very few works that most people have heard, maybe 1 symphony, the piano concerto, and a smattering of solo piano works?

Some of his music is the most inspired and sometimes heart-rending of any of the romantics. I consider him to be the original romantic, the others, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, are still very classical.

It's a matter of perspective and personal taste, I think.

Ranking someone in the Top 20 (or even Top 10) could be considered 'damning by faint praise' by someone who believes he merits a higher ranking.

FWIW, I have more Schumann in my sheet music collection than any other composer save for one (guess who? ), so you know he scores way higher than Top 10 with me!

Steven

Yeah, which ones?

If the Lord suddenly descended onto Earth and said 'From now on, every time you program a Schumann symphony, it must instead be one by Beethoven, Mendelssohn or Brahms', I wouldn't feel any profound loss. But with the exception of the last mov't of the 1st, they all have some merit.

Depends what you mean by "most people". If you mean people with only a small knowledge/exposure to classical piano music than anything is possible. Those people would have a limited knowledge of any composer's works.

I think the Abegg Variations, Davidsbundler, Papillons, Toccata, 3 Sonatas, Kinderscenen, Carnival, Fantasy in C, Symphonic Etudes, Fantasy Pieces, Arabesque, Kreisleriana, and Carnival Jest of Vienna are in general all well known to those with a good knowledge of piano literature. And I would also say that these pieces are frequently performed and considered staples of the piano literature by professional pianists.

Hi,

Do you know which pieces are the easier pieces to play other than Traumerei and Album for the young?

Thanks.

Bossie

Hi bossie,

Here’s a charming piece of Schumann music which everybody should learn during their early days at the piano ... from Kinderscenen ... the opening

"Foreign Lands and People" ("Von Fremden Landern und Menschen")

22 measures on one page in the key of G ... totally captivating.

from foreign lands and people by schumann 15-1

I recommend Waldscenen ("Forest Scenes") Op. 82.

Steven

Let's not forget the Arabeske Op. 18!

A delightful little salon piece that is incredibly fun to play. I've always wanted to program it as a second encore.

Thanks. Let me try in these few days ..

I, too, feel Schumann's style is unique, and very difficult to play well (in a musically convincing sense). I also happen to love most of what he has written, though I must admit I developed more of a rapport with his music a bit later in my life. Perhaps one must oneself be bipolar really to grasp it ( I'm only half serious here, but whereas I think it is very easy to exaggerate or become overly sentimental with Chopin, the story is somewhat different for Schumann).

Anyway, I'm replying to Steven's comment because I adore the Waldscenen and wonder why, among all of his works for solo piano, these are so infrequently played. Several of them are actually rather challenging technically (particularly the two "hunting" vignettes). But the "Bird as Prophet" is one of the most haunting things he wrote (along with the second mvt. of the piano quintet).

Al

This is also my feeling. The statement is justified not only musically, given the quasi-programmatic inspiration he often takes from Romantic German literature.

His Fantasiestucke op.12 (which I am currently working on) never stops to amaze me.
Amazing piece of music, and every single time I hear it and feel it differently.
He has a wonderful style, I won't say original because it is a very relative thing, no?
But I have to say, I adore his music much more than Schubert's because I still can't understand Schubert quite well. I know it might change in time.

Dino, I was late to appreciate Schubert, too.

The turning point was when I stopped expecting him to be Romantic (or proto-Romantic, at least) and started considering his piano style in the tradition of Haydn and Beethoven instead.

Steven

This applies to me, too. I do not listen to Schubert's pieces very often...

But I still love his Moment Musical No. 3. It is just stunning.