Fantisestücke Opus 12 of Schumann — Wikipedia

THE Fantasiesse (or Fantasy ) opus 12, are a cycle of eight piano pieces by Robert Schumann, composed in 1837. Three other works by the composer carry the title Fantasiesse : Opus 73, 88 and 111, written respectively in 1849, 1842 and 1851.

Fantasiesse or Fantasy , is a title that Schumann used for four of his works:

– Fantasienschücke Opus 12 , for piano, 1837 ^{[ first ]} ;

– Fantasienschücke Opus 73 , for piano and clarinet (ad.lib alto or cello), 1849 ^{[ 2 ]} ;

– Fantasienschücke Opus 88 , for piano, violin and cello, 1842 ^{[ 3 ]} ;

– Trois Fantasiesse Opus 111 , for piano, 1851 ^{[ 4 ]} .

He is inspired by Fantasy pieces like Callot of Ernst theodor Amadeus Hoffmann published in 1814-1815, both for the title and for the sense of the dark fantastic specific to the famous engraver of XVII ^{It is} century ^{[ 5 ]} .

THE Fantasiesse Opus 12, were composed in 1837 during a stay in Ralbitz-Rosenthal. The work is dedicated to the English pianist Anna Robena Laidlaw (in) , with which he had forged friendships ^{[ 6 ]} .

The two characters represented in this set, actually portray the two intimate faces of Schumann’s individuality: Eusebius , be sweet, dreamy, tender, shy and discreet; Florestan , endowed with a passionate, capricious and excessive temperament. They play with each other throughout the cycle, which ends with a reflexive and weighted note of Eusebius , in the last play entitled End of the song ( End of song ) ^{[ 7 ]} .

The names Eusebius And Florestan had already been used as pseudonyms by the composer in the review new music magazine (New musical review), founded by him in 1834, to sign the articles he published there. As in the eight parts that form this opus 12, it goes from one signature to the other, choosing that which is best suited to the tone of the article: Soist or combative ^{[ 7 ]} .

• first. At night ( The evening ), in a major re -flat, ” To play very intimate »( Play very intimately ).

first. At night (3:23 minutes). This piece introduces the character of Eusebius , which evokes Schumann’s own dream nature, who wanted to express ” The soft color of the twilight » [ 8 ] .

---

• . 2. Upswing ( Boom , Momentum , Reprise or Elevation ), in a minor, ” Very quickly »( Very fast ).

2. Upswing (3:29 minutes). L’ Upswing is a representation of Florestan , character devoting himself to pleasures, lived until ” Summit of his passions » [ 9 ] .

---

• 3. Why? ( For what ? ), in a major re -flat, ” Slow and tender »( Slowly and tenderly ).

The title For what? , expresses the reflection of Eusebius On excess committed by Florestan [ 9 ] . The play continues with a ” gentle question “And ends with a” not conclusive response » [ 8 ] .

---

4. Grille (3:47 Minutes). This play is a humorous evocation of excesses passionate about Florestan [ 8 ] .

---

• 5. At night ( The night ) in a minor, Passionate ( With passion ).

5. At night (4:25 minutes). Part in which the composer tries to represent the interaction of the passion of Florestan and the sweetness of Eusebius . After having composed it, Schumann would have seen a reminiscence of the Greek myth of Hero and Léandre [ 8 ] .

---

• 6. Fabel ( Fable ) in major do, Slow ( Slowly ).

As in the previous room, temperaments ” dreamer ” And ” keen Of the two characters are juxtaposed (after being exhibited separately in 1. At night and 2. Upswing ). The whimsical nature of Florestan opposes the ethereal tranquility of Eusebius , which gives rise to a ” Placid and humorous story ». The tone in Major breaks with the Major Ré downside and Fa Minor of the previous two rooms [ 8 ] .

---

• 7. Dreames confused ( Confused dreams, dream troubles ), in major fa, Extremely lively ( Extremely lively, alive ).

7. Dreames confuse (2:43 minutes). The title evokes the struggle between the “dreamy sweetness” and the “passionate impulses” of the two characters. It is rhythmically intense and imbued with rapid impulse. Like the previous one, it in turn departs from the signature scheme of F minor, for the major FA [ 8 ] .

---

• 8th end of the song ( End of song ), in major fa, With good humor ( With a certain humor ).

8. End of the song (4:01 minutes). This whole finish, Schumann describes it as a combination of wedding bells and funeral bells. In a letter to his fiancée Clara, whom he will marry three years later, he wrote, about this play: “At the time, I thought: Well, at the end, everything is resolved in a joyful marriage. But ultimately, my painful anxiety about your subject came back [ 8 ] . ” Like the previous one, it is in Major.

In French

• Brigitte François-Sappey, Robert Schumann , Paris, Fayard, 2003 , 154 p. (EAN  9782213617305 ) .
• François-René Tranchefort, Piano music guide and harpsichord , Paris, Fayard editions, 1987 , 886 p. (EAN  97822116399 )

in English

• (in) J. Peter Burkholder  (in) and Claude V. Palisca (in) , Norton Anthology of Western Music, Vol. 2: Classic to Twentieth Century, fifth edition , New York, Londres, W.W.Norton, 2006 , 1472 p. (ISBN  9780393925623 ) .
• (in) David emer, The complete Book of Classical Music , Prentice Hall, 1965 , 946 p. (ISBN  978-0131560420 ) . The University of California digitized the work July 16, 2008 .
• (in) James Cuthbert had (in) , Composers in Love and Marriage , Londres, John Long, 1913 , 287 p. [first] . Consulted the January 6, 2022 .
• (in) Eric Frederick Jensen, Schumann , Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001 , 408 p. (ISBN  9780195346060 , read online ) .

Partitions

Videos