The ''Novelletten'', Op. 21, is a set of eight pieces for solo piano, written by

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

in 1838. This composition is dedicated to

Adolf von Henselt Georg Martin Adolf von Henselt (9 or 12 May 181410 October 1889) was a German composer and virtuoso pianist. Life Henselt was born at Schwabach, in Bavaria. At the age of three he began to learn the violin, and at five the piano under Josephe vo ...

Background

The ''Novelletten'' were composed during February 1838, a period of great struggle for the composer. Schumann originally intended the eight pieces to be performed together as a group, though they are often performed separately. This set of pieces is an excellent example of Schumann's keyboard style.

Analysis

No. 1 in F major

*''Markiert und kräftig'' (Marked and strong) This piece contains seven sections, alternating between a

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and has appeared in music ...

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Marc ...

and flowing

legato In music performance and notation, legato (; Italian for "tied together"; French ''lié''; German ''gebunden'') indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected. That is, the player makes a transition from note to note wit ...

passages. The piece is a modified Rondo form.

No. 2 in D major

*''Äußerst rasch und mit Bravour'' (Extremely fast and with bravura) This

virtuosic A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

piece is graceful and effective. An Intermezzo section in the middle contrasts and varies the piece.

No. 3 in D major

*''Leicht und mit Humor'' (Light and with humor) This piece displays the composer's sense of humour through the use of rapid staccato chords. An

Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

section in the middle of the piece is used to contrast.

No. 4 in D major

*''Ballmässig. Sehr munter'' (Ball-like. Very lively) This piece is quite loosely organized in terms of structure; it is an interesting

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

that uses cross-rhythms and

syncopation In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

effectively.

No. 5 in D major

*''Rauschend und festlich'' (Glittering and festive) This piece is in the form of a

polonaise The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a dance of Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in time. Its name is French for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, meani ...

; its principal section contains three main ideas which are then overcome by the persistent rhythms of the Trio section.

No. 6 in A major

*''Sehr lebhaft, mit vielem Humor'' (Very lively, with much humor) This piece uses an increasing

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

to characterize the progression of sections. Starting from the staccato opening, each of the following passages are marked a few metronome beats faster until the

coda Coda or CODA may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Movie coda, a post-credits scene * ''Coda'' (1987 film), an Australian horror film about a serial killer, made for television *''Coda'', a 2017 American experimental film from Na ...

, which returns to the original tempo.

No. 7 in E major

*''Äusserst rasch'' (Extremely fast) This piece features a beautiful and lyrical middle section; it also features many virtuosic passages containing fast, brilliant

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

No. 8 in F minor

*''Sehr lebhaft'' (Very lively) The concluding piece of the set is actually two pieces in one. The first part is a passionate

étude An étude (; ) or study is an instrumental musical composition, usually short, designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular musical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidl ...

in 2/4, the second has the nature of a march. It ends in D major, the principal key of the cycle.

References

External links

* *,

Dino Ciani Dino Ciani (June 16, 1941 – March 28, 1974) was an Italian pianist. Ciani was born in Fiume (now Rijeka in Croatia) and studied piano with Martha Del Vecchio in Genoa. He obtained his diploma at the Conservatory in Rome at the age of 14 an ...

*, Tim Burnelis {{Authority control Piano music by Robert Schumann 1838 compositions Compositions for solo piano Music dedicated to ensembles or performers