Carnaval, Op.9
Op. 9
Robert Schumann 1810–1856
Op. 9
Catalogue
Score
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Themes & character
Masked ball·Musical cryptogram·Portraits of friends·A.S.C.H. motif
At a glance
- Catalogue
- Op. 9
Movements
1
Preambule
2
Pierrot
3
Arlequin
4
Valse noble
5
Eusebius
6
Florestan
7
Coquette
8
Replique
9
Sphinxes
10
Papillons
11
A.S.C.H.-S.C.H.A. (Lettres dansantes)
12
Chiarina
13
Chopin
14
Estrella
15
Reconnaissance
16
Pantalon et Colombine
17
Valse allemande
18
Paganini
19
Aveu
20
Promenade
21
Pause
22
Marche des Davidsbundler contre les Philistins
About the piece
Composed in 1834 and 1835, Carnaval is a masked ball in music, over twenty short character pieces representing guests at a costume party. Several are named for real people in Schumann's life: Chopin and Paganini appear as musical portraits, as does Chiarina, a nickname for the young Clara Wieck, Schumann's future wife.
The whole work is built from a musical cryptogram, four notes spelling ASCH, the German town where Schumann's then fiancee Ernestine von Fricken was born, and which also happens to spell out letters from his own name. The piece closes with a mock battle, the League of David marching against the Philistines, Schumann's stand-in for imagination triumphing over musical conservatism.
The composer
Robert Schumann
1810–1856
Robert Schumann was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber groups, orchestra, choir and the opera. His works typify the spirit of the Romantic era in German music.
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