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Romantic · character piece

Sheherazade, Op. 68 No. 32

Robert Schumann · Level 6, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A title drawn from storytelling. Sheherazade, Op. 68 No. 32 is a character piece by Robert Schumann from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 6, an estimate.

On this page
  • character piece
  • Romantic
  • dreamy

Also known as Album pour la jeunesse - 32.Sheherazade.

History

The title names Scheherazade, the storyteller of the Arabian Nights. PTNA’s signed commentary describes a quiet three-voice texture and an ABB outline. The title offers a literary listening frame, but it does not prove that Schumann wrote this piece for a particular family storytelling occasion.

Sources

What to listen for

  1. A song above two kinds of motion

    An arpeggiated upper song sits above moving inner notes and a slower lower line. Listen for all three layers as the first phrase grows and settles.

  2. Changing paired replies begin the new half

    The second repeat starts with a changed call and paired upper responses. Compare their shape with the earlier singing entry.

  3. Descending fragments recall the opening

    Descending fragments lead back toward the opening contour. Hear the connection emerge rather than treating each short fragment as a separate ending.

  4. Two endings shape different arrivals

    The repeat and final endings slow differently; only the final ending adds the fermata. Listen for how the continuing response differs from the closing one.

How to practise it

Long decorated upper line; slower lower outline.

  1. Practise the long upper outline first and add the local chord spreading without changing its duration.
  2. Keep the slower supporting line connected without repeating notes to match another layer.

How hard is it

Level 6, estimated

Story-like phrase direction and changing textures require a broader expressive range and more developed coordination.

About this piece

Interpretive sketch of Robert Schumann, an illustration and not a verified likeness
An illustration, not a portrait
Collection
Small scenes, big imagination
Licence
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5
Source
mutopiaproject.org
Credit
“Album pour la jeunesse - 32.Sheherazade” by R. Schumann (1810 to 1856). Mutopia edition maintained by Philippe Hézaine. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=692. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/. Changes to the supplied file: none; any later conversion or edit must be disclosed separately.

More by Robert Schumann

  1. Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 1, MélodieLevel 2, estimatedOpen to everyone
  2. Träumerei, Kinderszenen Op. 15 No. 7Level 6, estimatedWith Maestro
  3. Toccata in C major, Op. 7Level 10, estimatedWith Maestro

With Maestro

Play it, slow it down, hear where you land

Long decorated upper line; slower lower outline.

Practise it in PlayPiano