Humoresque (Schumann)

The Humoresque Op. 20 in B flat major is a piano work by Robert Schumann composed in 1839 and dedicated to Julie von Webenau . Schumann cited Jean Paul's humor as a source of inspiration, although no direct programmatic references to Jean Paul's work can be demonstrated in the music .

construction

The work consists of about seven attacca merging sections, which, unusually, almost without exception are set to the tonality B flat major / G minor , but strongly contrast in character:

1. "Easy" (B flat major, 4/4 time, MM = 80)
   - "Very quickly and easily" (B flat major, 2/4 time, MM = 138)
   - "Even faster" (G minor)
   - " First tempo " As in the beginning (B flat major, 4/4 time)
2. "Hastily" (G minor, 2/4 time, MM = 126)
   - "Gradually more and more lively and stronger" ( D minor )
   - "As before" Adagio
3. "Simple and tender" (G minor, 4/4 time, MM = 100)
   - "Intermezzo" (B flat major, 2/4 time, MM = 100)
4. "Innig" (B flat major, 4/4 time, MM = 116)
   - "Faster" (Tempo I)
5. "Very lively" (G minor / B flat major, 2/4 time, MM = 76)
   - "Always lively" Stretto
6. "With some pomp" ( C minor , 4/4 time, MM = 92)
7. "To the conclusion" (B flat major, 4/4 time, MM = 112) Allegro

However, this classification is not expressly indicated by the composer.

swell

• Robert Schumann: Complete Piano Works , Volume IV, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 1988, pp. 1–29.

literature

• Bernhard R. Appel , Robert Schumann's "Humoreske" for piano op. 20. On musical humor in the first half of the 19th century with special consideration of the problem of form , dissertation, maschr., Saarbrücken 1981
• Schumann Handbook , ed. by Ulrich Tadday , Stuttgart 2006, p. 251

Web links

• Humoresque : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
• Irmgard Knechtges-Obrecht: Robert Schumann op.20 at Schumann-Portal.de