1/28/2019 From Children’s Tales to Scenes from Childhood : Interlude.

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Composers > Inspiration (http://www.interlude.hk/front/category/spotlight/in- p://
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by Maureen Buja (http://www.interlude.hk/front/about/contributors/about-maureen-buja) |
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August 18th, 2016
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From Children’s Tales to Scenes from co
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Childhood sha MOST POPULAR
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sha a Miracle
and the
Written about children, but rer. First
Robert Schumann, lithograph by Josef Kriehuber, 1839
Place of
not written for children, ph Art” –
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the collection of short piano pieces entitled Kinderszenen (Scenes from w.interlude
Herz-Sommer
Childhood) by Robert Schumann was a gi to Clara Wieck in 1838, two u= .hk/front/m
(http://www.interlude.h
htt k/front/music-miracle-
usic-
years before they were finally married. The final 13 pieces were chosen first-place-art-alice-
miracle-
from a set of 30 pieces, the remaining 18 published later in Op. 99 and Op. p:// herz-sommer/)
first-place-
124. ww More than ever we need
art-alice-
heroes.
herz- Alice Hertz-Sommer
w.i is one of mine. [...]
sommer/)
Originally, Kinderszenen, Op. 15 was to be published together with the 8 nte
The
Noveletten, Op. 21, as a work called Kindergeschichten (Children’s Tales) rlu Performi
but Schmann changed his mind and separated them. In a 1838 letter to de. ng
Teacher
Clara when he sent her the pieces, Robert wrote that they were an answer hk/ (http://w
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to her comment ‘that sometimes I seemed to you like a child….’ He told (http://ww lude.hk/f
her to laugh at the titles but to take their performance seriously: ‘They nt/ w.interlude
ront/performing-
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teacher/)
will amuse you, but you will have to forget yourself as a virtuoso.’ erforming-
As teachers, performing is, in
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my opinion, a necessary part
The titles take us to the land of 569 of the job. [...] 
Clara Wieck at the paino

children: 12)
A Key to
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Brahms
No. 1. Von fremden Landern und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and p:// Sound
twi J. B.
People) Streicher
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 1/28/2019 From Children’s Tales to Scenes from Childhood : Interlude.hk

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No. 2. Curiose Geschichte (A Strange Story)
.co No. 8105
w.interlude
No. 3. Hasche-Mann (Catch-as-catch-can) (http://www.interlude.h
.hk/front/k
m/ k/front/key-brahms-
No. 4. Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child) ey-brahms-
ho soundj-b-streicher-
No. 5. Glückes genug (Happy Enough) (htt soundj-b-
sohn-8105/)
me
p:// streicher-
No. 6. Wichtige Begebenheit (An Important Event) The process of finding the
sohn-8105/)
perfect sounds for his
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No. 7. Träumerei (Dreaming) compositions [...]
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No. 8. Am Camin (By the Fire-side)
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No. 9. Ritter vom Steckenpferd (Knight of the Hobby-horse) Concerto
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No. 10. Fast zu ernst (Almost Too Serious)
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No. 11. Furchtenmachen (Frightening) ok. Hindemi
Chi
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No. 12. Kind im Einschlummern (Child Falling Asleep) (http://ww Klavierm
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No. 13. Der Dichter spricht (The Poet Speaks) w.interlude
usik mit Orchester, Op.
en’
sha .hk/front/u
29
srer/ (http://www.interlude.h
nsung-
But this is a land as observed by an adult and observed from a distance. k/front/unsung-
concertos-
Tal
sha concertos-paul-
paul-
The opening piece, Of Foreign Lands and People, serves as the key to the hindemith-
es
rer. hindemith-
klaviermusik-mit-
work, with its opening theme appearing in various guises throughout the klaviermusi
to
ph orchester-op-29/)
other pieces. k-mit-
Sce What happened a er Paul
p? orchester-
Wittgenstein's refusal to
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perform the work? [...]
Schumann: Kinderszenen: No. 1. Of Foreign Lands and People u=
(Martha Argerich, piano) fro
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p:// Children’
If we listen to the same piece in other hands, we can hear how much Chi s Tales to
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Childhoo
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Schumann: Kinderszenen: No. 1. Of Foreign Lands and People (Alfred d:
rlu w.interlude
(http://www.interlude.h
Brendel, piano) .hk/front/c
k/front/childrens-tales-
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de. scenes-childhood/)
hildrens-
p://
hk/ tales-
Written about children, but
Brendel’s vision seems much more dutiful than the world of the scenes-
not written for children. [...]
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imagination summoned by Argerich. childhood/)
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nt/ Prodigy
nte Problem
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The best known of the 13 pieces is the middle one: No. 7, Traumerei
rlu
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(Dreaming). Every child who learns to play it thinks he’s gotten a vision ww.inter
de.
569 
into the world of Schumann, but in the hands of a virtuoso, the role of lude.hk/f
hk/ (http://ww ront/pro
12)
rubato (a slight speeding up and slowing down of the tempo) gives us a w.interlude
digy-problems/)
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(htt .hk/front/pr
much more dreamlike quality to the work. Can they truly stand the test
nt/
p:// odigy-
of time and enjoy a
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successful career? [...]
Schumann: Kinderszenen: No. 7. Dreaming (Martha Argerich, piano)
p=
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p
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Overally, the pieces are not technically demanding, but it is the quality of 12)
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expression and the sensitivity of the performer to that expression that is ho
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key. It is important to remember that the titles are not the story, but only me
p://
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an indication meant to guide the performer. When we look at the final ?ww
p://
piece, No. 13, The Poet Speaks, we can finally see that these Scenes from sta
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Childhood are not scenes as seen by a child, but scenes as remembered tus
ace
ter
by ‘The Poet,’ and therein lies the di erence. =Fr
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co
Schumann: Kinderszenen: No. 13. The Poet Speaks (Martha Argerich, Chi
co
piano) m/
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pin
en’
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eat
More in Inspiration: Tal
sha
e/b
es
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p
tter
  At the Center of the Musical Universe
(http://www.in Franz Schubert II (http://www.interlude.hk/front/center-
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.co
terlude.hk/fron musical-universe-franz-schubert-ii/) 12)
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?ww
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