Märchenbilder (Schumann)
Encyclopedia
Märchenbilder or Fairy Tale Pictures, for Viola and Piano, Op. 113, was written by Robert Schumann
in March 1851. The work is dedicated to the German violin
ist and conductor
Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski
. It consists of four character piece
s and is an original composition featuring the viola
from the Romantic period
.
Schumann gives us few clues as to what creatures or events are depicted within each movement. His 1853 composition Märchenerzählungen or Fairy Tales for Clarinet, Viola and Piano also leaves the details to the imagination of the performers and the audience.
Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann, sometimes known as Robert Alexander Schumann, was a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era....
in March 1851. The work is dedicated to the German violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski
Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski
Wilhelm Joseph von Wasielewski was a German violinist, conductor, and musicologist.-Life:Wasielewski was born on June 17, 1822 in the village of Gross, near Danzig as the eighth of eleven children of Henriette Christina Piwko and Josef Thaddäus von Wasielewski , a landholder and later Rector of...
. It consists of four character piece
Character piece
Character piece is a literal translation of the German Charakterstück, a term, not very precisely defined, used for a broad range of 19th century piano music based on a single idea or program...
s and is an original composition featuring the viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
from the Romantic period
Romantic music
Romantic music or music in the Romantic Period is a musicological and artistic term referring to a particular period, theory, compositional practice, and canon in Western music history, from 1810 to 1900....
.
Schumann gives us few clues as to what creatures or events are depicted within each movement. His 1853 composition Märchenerzählungen or Fairy Tales for Clarinet, Viola and Piano also leaves the details to the imagination of the performers and the audience.
Movements
- Nicht schnell (Not Fast) in D minorD minorD minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
- Lebhaft (Lively) in F majorF majorF major is a musical major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat . It is by far the oldest key signature with an accidental, predating the others by hundreds of years...
- Rasch (Quick) in D minorD minorD minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
- Langsam, mit melancholischem Ausdruck (Slowly, with Melancholic Expression) in D majorD majorD major is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature consists of two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor....