Faschingsschwank aus Wien, (Carnival Prank from Vienna) Robert Schumann
I. Allegro;
II. Romanze; III. Scherzino; IV. Intermezzo; V. Finale
Schumann
traveled to Vienna in 1838 in hopes of improving his financial and
artistic situation enough to win the approval of the father of his beloved
Clara Wieck. The period was a fertile one for Schumann. During his visit he
composed several important piano works including the Faschingsschwank aus Wien, literally translated as "Carnival Jest
from Vienna." The piece
is a tribute to the celebration of Mardi Gras: revelry that includes music,
drama, mime, masquerade, and dance.
In
the opening movement, Schumann takes sly revenge on the Austrian censor who
forbade the singing of the Marseillaise,
on the grounds that such a revolutionary piece might cause public
disorder. In the midst of a stream of
interruptions to the boisterous blaring first theme, a French patriot appears
and bursts into the offending song. The
plaintive Romanze is followed by an ebullient Scherzino. The impassioned Intermezzo features a soaring
melody above a dark swirl of accompaniment. An exuberant Finale in sonata-form
closes the work. Mimi Solomon
______________________________________________
Faschingsschwank aus Wien Robert Schumann
Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien ("Carnival
Scenes from Vienna") for solo piano is a rather unusual work falling somewhere
in between a suite and a sonata. It consists of five movements that nearly
fulfill the usual movements of a sonata, though they are arranged in a
different order.
The first movement is a vast Allegro in triple time.
One of the more technically challenging movements, it begins with a waltz tune
which then alternates with six different episodes. The episodes vary greatly,
from the lyrical to the off-kilter and even the militant. The movement comes to
an impressive close with sweeping arpeggios and full chords. Following is a
lyrical Romanze in G minor. Simple and concise, it presents a mournful
melody interrupted only by a brief section in C major.
A Scherzino follows the gloomy second movement
and offers a welcome lighthearted contrast. Constructed on a rather simple two
measure motif, its characteristic rhythm permeates much of the movement. The
motif is consistently passed between treble and bass and the only substantial
break in the pattern is the octave run that leads to the close of the movement.
The following Intermezzo returns to the melancholy of the Romanze. The
melody appears in the right hand over an undulating arpeggio accompaniment and
octave bass notes in the left hand. The Finale, however, dispels the
gloomy atmosphere with triumphant octave B-flats and arpeggios. It is cast in a
conventional sonata form and is the perhaps the most technically demanding part
of the work. Constantly alternating between accompanimental sixteenth-note and
triplets, the energetic movement comes to a magnificent close with colossal
chords in both hands. Joseph DuBose
Classical Music | Piano Music
Robert Schumann
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 (Carnival of Vienna) Play
Recorded on 04/17/2007, uploaded on 01/24/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, (Carnival Prank from Vienna) Robert Schumann
I. Allegro; II. Romanze; III. Scherzino; IV. Intermezzo; V. Finale
Schumann traveled to Vienna in 1838 in hopes of improving his financial and artistic situation enough to win the approval of the father of his beloved Clara Wieck. The period was a fertile one for Schumann. During his visit he composed several important piano works including the Faschingsschwank aus Wien, literally translated as "Carnival Jest from Vienna." The piece is a tribute to the celebration of Mardi Gras: revelry that includes music, drama, mime, masquerade, and dance.
In the opening movement, Schumann takes sly revenge on the Austrian censor who forbade the singing of the Marseillaise, on the grounds that such a revolutionary piece might cause public disorder. In the midst of a stream of interruptions to the boisterous blaring first theme, a French patriot appears and bursts into the offending song. The plaintive Romanze is followed by an ebullient Scherzino. The impassioned Intermezzo features a soaring melody above a dark swirl of accompaniment. An exuberant Finale in sonata-form closes the work. Mimi Solomon
______________________________________________
Faschingsschwank aus Wien Robert Schumann
Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien ("Carnival Scenes from Vienna") for solo piano is a rather unusual work falling somewhere in between a suite and a sonata. It consists of five movements that nearly fulfill the usual movements of a sonata, though they are arranged in a different order.
The first movement is a vast Allegro in triple time. One of the more technically challenging movements, it begins with a waltz tune which then alternates with six different episodes. The episodes vary greatly, from the lyrical to the off-kilter and even the militant. The movement comes to an impressive close with sweeping arpeggios and full chords. Following is a lyrical Romanze in G minor. Simple and concise, it presents a mournful melody interrupted only by a brief section in C major.
A Scherzino follows the gloomy second movement and offers a welcome lighthearted contrast. Constructed on a rather simple two measure motif, its characteristic rhythm permeates much of the movement. The motif is consistently passed between treble and bass and the only substantial break in the pattern is the octave run that leads to the close of the movement. The following Intermezzo returns to the melancholy of the Romanze. The melody appears in the right hand over an undulating arpeggio accompaniment and octave bass notes in the left hand. The Finale, however, dispels the gloomy atmosphere with triumphant octave B-flats and arpeggios. It is cast in a conventional sonata form and is the perhaps the most technically demanding part of the work. Constantly alternating between accompanimental sixteenth-note and triplets, the energetic movement comes to a magnificent close with colossal chords in both hands. Joseph DuBoseMore music by Robert Schumann
Maerchenbilder for viola and piano - I mov, op.113
Carnaval, Op. 9
Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70
Wehmuth, from Liederkreis, Op. 39
Novellette no. 6 in A Major: Sehr lebhaft mit vielem Humor, from Novelletten, Op. 21
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, from Lieder und Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister
Intermezzo
Presto Passionato in g minor, Op. 22a
Faschingsschwank aus Wien, Op. 26 (Carnival of Vienna)
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano in A minor, Op. 105
Performances by same musician(s)
12 Variations in C Major on “Ah, vous dirai-je Maman” K. 265
Piano Sonata
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
Courtesy of International Music Foundation.