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Schumann, Robert : 8 Novelletten Op.21

Work Overview

Music ID : 2464
Composition Year:1838 
Publication Year:1839
First Publisher:Breitkopf und Härtel
Instrumentation:Piano Solo 
Genre:pieces
Total Playing Time:46 min 00 sec
Copyright:Public Domain

Commentary (2)

Author : PTNA Piano Encyclopedia Editorial Department

Last Updated: January 1, 2010
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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

While "Novelette" means a short story, Schumann himself referred to it as "a collection of adventure tales." When all eight pieces are combined, a fantastical and expansive world unfolds. The period from 1836 to 1838 saw the creation of many piano masterpieces, marking one of Schumann's artistic peaks. The style of collections of short pieces, such as the Noveletten, was fully established during this time. This musical language combines individual poetic miniatures to form a unified musical image, possessing a grandeur of scale where inner landscapes emerge as sound.

Author : Kamiyama, Noriko

Last Updated: March 12, 2018
[Open]
Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

The Novelletten, comprising eight pieces, were composed between early January and mid-April 1838. During this period, Schumann (1810-1856)'s creative power reached an unprecedented peak. He successively completed masterpieces of piano music such as Kinderszenen Op. 15 and Kreisleriana Op. 16, while also working on works like the Fantasiestücke in C major Op. 17 and Sonata No. 2 Op. 22. Existing sketchbooks reveal that Schumann had decided on the title Novelletten from the very early stages of composition. It is the plural form of 'Novellete' (short story), which denotes something small by adding the suffix '-ette' to 'Novelle' (novel). Schumann was the first in the history of composition to use this title for a musical work. It is not surprising that Schumann, who often sought inspiration for his compositions in poetic literature, derived the title of this work from that domain. Speaking of the fusion of literature and music, two years prior, Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) had also created a new name for instrumental music in a narrative-poetic style, Ballade No. 1 in G minor. It is highly probable that Schumann, who highly esteemed that work, was inspired by Chopin's endeavor. (Schumann had met Chopin directly at the home of his piano teacher, Friedrich Wieck [1785-1873], in early October 1835.) Preparation for the publication of all eight Novelletten began at Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig after the summer of 1838, and they were initially intended to be dedicated to Chopin as Op. 16. However, in December of the same year, Schumann informed the publisher that he wished to designate the collection as Op. 19 and dedicate it to his friend, the pianist and composer Adolf Henselt (1814-1889). Three months later, in March 1839, Schumann changed the opus number once more; the Novelletten were finally published as Op. 21 in July of the same year. Unlike the title, the order of the eight pieces was not fixed from the outset and was even changed several times during the preparation for printing. From this, it is understood that the Novelletten differ from cycle works in the strict sense, which are generally performed in their entirety according to a fixed order, and today, performances of all eight pieces as a set are rather uncommon.

Movements (8)

No.1

Key: F-Dur  Total Performance Time: 5 min 00 sec 

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No.2

Key: D-Dur  Total Performance Time: 5 min 30 sec 

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No.3

Key: D-Dur  Total Performance Time: 4 min 30 sec 

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No.4

Key: D-Dur  Total Performance Time: 3 min 30 sec 

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No.5

Key: D-Dur  Total Performance Time: 8 min 30 sec 

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No.6

Key: A-Dur  Total Performance Time: 4 min 00 sec 

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No.7

Key: E-Dur  Total Performance Time: 3 min 00 sec 

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No.8

Key: fis-moll  Total Performance Time: 12 min 00 sec 

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Reference Videos & Audition Selections(5items)

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Scores List (12)