Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 03/16/2011, uploaded on 09/30/2011

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Along with the opus 94 Impromptus, the Six Moments musicaux are some of Schubert’s most often performed works for the piano. Their title, however, was not of Schubert’s own choosing and was given to the collection of six pieces by the publisher. Whether the title was to the composer’s liking is unknown. By the time of their publication in the summer of 1828, Schubert was not in a position to dispute it, having already relapsed into financial troubles and facing the final months of the sickness that would claim his life. Four of the six pieces were composed during the summer of 1827-28, while the remaining two (the first and last) date from a few years early in 1823-24.

The second Moments musicaux is a gentle rondo in A-flat major offset by a more passionate and unstable episode. In a relaxed compound meter, the piece’s refrain takes on a fairly regular structure with a twice-repeated melody. On its second appearance, the ending is altered to effect a modulation into the subdominant. Taking the last chord of this cadence as dominant harmony, the first episode modulates to the distant key of F-sharp minor. The rich chordal texture also changes to a monophonic line accompanied by broken chords in the left hand. The refrain reappears, embellished and somewhat lengthened, closing this time in the tonic key. This closes, however, makes even more startling the reappearance of the F-sharp minor episode in a sudden forte and with a passionate rise to the dominant before settling into the melody heard before. Yet, the unsettled emotions are quelled a second time by Schubert’s deft modulation back into the tonic key and final statement of the refrain.      Joseph DuBose

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The six Moments musicaux (i.e. Musical Moments) were published in 1828, the last year of Schubert’s life, and it is possible that the fanciful title may have originated with the Viennese publisher, rather than the composer, who committed a gross grammatical error by publishing them as Six momens musicals.  (The correct French spelling and accords are preferred today.)  A set of musical interludes, they contain some of Schubert’s most charming and well-known music.      Andrew Brownell

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.