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Romantic · character piece

Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 9, Chanson populaire

Robert Schumann · Level 3, estimated · With Maestro

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The short answer

A folk song becomes a little folk song. Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 9, Chanson populaire is a character piece by Robert Schumann from the Romantic era. PlayPiano puts it at Level 3, an estimate.

On this page
  • character piece
  • Romantic
  • gentle

Also known as Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 9: Chanson populaire; Album pour la jeunesse - 9.Chanson populaire.

History

Schumann’s autograph gave the ninth album piece the shorter title “Volkslied.” The published “Volksliedchen” makes it a “little folk song.”

Sources

What to listen for

  1. Long melody above short supporting chords

    The opening pairs expressive long melody notes with short arpeggiated chords. Keep the melodic line audible while the supporting attacks remain light.

  2. A quicker clipped contrast

    The contrast introduces high clipped gestures and moving inner notes. Listen for the change of pace and texture without losing the inner motion.

  3. The contrast returns and slows

    The contrasting response is written again and slows before the return. Hear the related gesture move toward a different pace rather than beginning an unrelated section.

  4. The melody returns through a changed texture

    At the opening pace, rests and chords come first before the melody returns more fully. Hear that preparation lead toward the final held arrival.

How to practise it

Let the expressive longer melody float above isolated rolled support.

  1. Play these two melody gestures alone and sing through each E sustain.
  2. Rehearse the first two lower chord placements while counting the rests.

How hard is it

Level 3, estimated

Song-like phrasing asks for a distinct melodic line, controlled accompaniment and clean phrase endings.

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 - 9.Chanson populaire” by R. Schumann (1810 to 1856). Mutopia edition maintained by Philippe Hézaine. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=675. 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

Let the expressive longer melody float above isolated rolled support.

Practise it in PlayPiano