Classical Music | Piano Music

Robert Schumann

Papillons in C-sharp Major, Op. 2 Play Play

Piano

Recorded on 12/31/2008, uploaded on 04/22/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Papillons, composed in 1829-31, was Schumann's first set of character pieces for the piano and, only a couple of years later, would serve as the starting point for another set of character pieces—Carnaval. Greatly influenced by literature from a young age, Schumann based Papillons on Jean Paul Richter's novel Flegeljahre (Age of Indiscretion). Originally, each of the twelve pieces of Papillons bore a title that made direct reference to Jean Paul's novel. However, as was Schumman's custom, he removed the descriptive titles prior to publication, attempting to conceal his source of inspiration from the general music public.

The setting being of a fictitious festival, Papillons consists of a brief introduction followed by twelve dance movements, mostly waltzes. Though Papillons was only Schumann's second published work, his growing compositional skill is already quite evident. Later regarded as one of the most experimental harmonists of the 19^th century, Schumann displays an already adventurous approach to harmony throughout Papillons. A canon at the octave, although brief, in the third dances also shows his contrapuntal skill was just as developed. Finally, Papillons betrays Schumann's already keen sense of imagery and command of piano technique. In the final dance, at the end of a surprisingly long tonic pedal (surprising, that is, in considering the capabilities of pianos in the early 19^th century), six repeated notes are heard indicating a clock striking the sixth hour. The dispersal of the party goers is then depicted by a soft, but full-voiced, seventh chord with each note slowly being released and fading into silence until only the highest note remains. Joseph DuBose