Classical piano solo music played and recorded by Robert von Heeren

The original title was first "To the conclusion" ("Zum Beschluss") as this piece No. 43 finishes the whole cycle of the Album for the Young in a celebratory way for the case that the student has studied and played all 43 pieces. I believe the whole Album for the Young was ment to be played as a cycle from beginning to the end (that would be aprox. 80-90 minutes, a full concert). The dramaturgy of the album links all 43 pieces into a musical whole. The sequence of the pieces is very well thought out and often very contrasting from piece to piece in style, tone, rhythm and expression. Overall, the level of difficulty increases continuously. Schumann touches on many playing techniques, musical expressions and styles. In this way, he systematically prepares the student for larger concert literature, foregoing purely technical studies (etudes). All in all, he was much more interested in developing a feeling for music in the student.

The intention of this piece to give the piano player the feeling of how a chorale is played on the organ.

Schumann dedicated this piece to his Danish composer colleague Niels W. Gade (1817-1890) "Greetings to G.". The first for upper notes of the harmonies are G - A - D - E.

Robert - Schumann - Little Fugue - Lively, but not too fast - A-major - Op. 68 - No. 40b by Robert von Heeren

Of the Album for the Young or for Children (Tchaikovsky, Karganoff, Novak, Grieg, Bartók, Casella) I know, this is the only one which contains a fully developed Fugue. The "Vorspiel" is written as a Prelude and Introduction to the Fugue, as J.S.Bach would have composed it (e.g. in same key). So Schumann continues Bach's tradition.

Although Schumann, his wife and his children often played the upright piano, and most pieces of the Album for the Young are certainly also designed for the room piano, this pieces is special: At the end, when it modulates to the final C major chord in the final 9 bars, Schumann noted an open right pedal and above "Verschiebung" (Displacement). He ment to open the left pedal of the grand piano. On a grand piano the left pedal has different mechanical function as on the upright piano. It moves the hammers a bit sideways, so that only two of the three strings (trichords) are played and the third string is open and resonating. This produces a very soft and quieter tone (Debussy and Chopin often uses that effect). On the upright piano the left pedal moves the hammers more closely towards the strings, so the sound is quieter, but still all three strings are hit. Schumann uses the left pedal "Verschiebung" (which was pretty new at the time) only once in the Album for the Young. He wanted that special sound effect in this piece, which can only be produced on a grand piano. Maybe he wanted to introduce the pupils to the differences between the piano versions and to try out a grand piano (which is for smaller hands more difficult to play).

Robert - Schumann - Wintertime I - Rather slowly - C-minor - Op. 68 - No. 38 by Robert von Heeren

Robert - Schumann - Sailor Song - Not fast - G-minor - Op. 68 - No. 37 by Robert von Heeren

Robert - Schumann - Italian Marinari Song - Slowly, fast - G-minor - Op. 68 - No. 36 by Robert von Heeren

Piano tuning by myself. "Mignon" is a character from Goethe's »Wilhelm Meister«, a mysterious girl figure who embodies demonic desire par excellence,