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Topic: Schumann, Romanze, Op. 28, No. 2 in F#  (Read 11473 times)

Offline rachfan

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Schumann, Romanze, Op. 28, No. 2 in F#
on: June 18, 2006, 09:56:41 PM
A short Schumann piece employing the "third hand" illusion. 

Update: I've substituted the original tape for the CD version that was posted here, as the tape actually has better fidelity.  (40 previous downloads.)
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Offline rachfan

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Re: Schumann, Romanze, Op. 28, No. 2 in F#
Reply #1 on: November 24, 2007, 12:32:54 AM
I thought I'd close out my Schumann pieces with the second of the Romances.  I mentioned the "third hand" illusion above.  Romantic period pieces such as this were written so that the thumbs would play much of the melody scored in the center or tenor section of the keyboard, while the outer fingers would play arpeggiated, filigreed, or other accompaniments toward the treble and bass registers.  In this Romance, the right and left thumbs even play a duet.  I would say though that this piece is no more than medium difficulty.  In his day, Sigismund Thalberg (1812-1871) was the pianist best known and most adept at this third hand technique. 

A caveat: Should you take an interest in this character piece and already have the sheetmusic on hand, first be sure to look at the key signature to make sure it's in F#.  When Schumann first sent his manuscript to the publisher, the publisher took the liberty of transposing the piece up to the key of G in order to make it easier to read, thus more marketable to the public.  Unfortunately, this liberty was perpetuated through many subsequent printings.  So even now, these bogus printings in G still turn up.

Comments welcome.
Interpreting music means exploring the promise of the potential of possibilities.

Offline gerry

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Re: Schumann, Romanze, Op. 28, No. 2 in F#
Reply #2 on: November 28, 2007, 10:45:06 PM
Hi rachfan - we meet again in the audition room. Thanks for sharing your interpretation of this beautiful piece. You have all the notes in your grasp and the overall shaping of the piece is fine. The thumbs melody needs to be more, for want of a better work, dreamy. The trick is to bring this melody out so that it sings above the accompaniment--not easy using thumbs. That said then, how about playing the accompanyment lighter and quieter so that the melody doesn't have to be so punched to be heard. One practice technique I have used here is to play the melody line alone using normal right-hand fingers so that it is legato and phrased properly then try to immitate that sound with the thumbs.

I find your choice of emphasized notes beginning in the second section (meas 9+) a bit odd. I feel the upper line should predominate (B,A#  A#,G#,F#,E#,D# etc.) and likewise throughout this section, the inner notes played more evenly*, with the bass octaves providing a subtle line of their own.

*the few accented inner notes should be emphasized only to proved a subtle tonal landing along the chromatic climb but should not be played sforzando.

Regarding the motive that begins in meas 24+ (and all other repetitions of this) you are emphasizing the final B# (de de de de de de DAH). You might try phrasing it emphasizing the C# (de de de de de DAH de) with a gently build to the DAH then dropping off on the last note. Anyway, that's the way I hear it. The choices are,of course, yours to make.

Shumann's piano works are VERY busy, often with lots of stuff going on in all fingers. The trick is to choose carefully what needs to be emphasized and what is subtly apparent without such emphasis so that it doesn't steal from the important melodic aspects but instead supports them.

Thanks again for sharing your accomplishments.

Gerry
Durch alle Töne tönet
Im bunten Erdentraum
Ein leiser Ton gezogen
Für den, der heimlich lauschet.

Offline rachfan

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Re: Schumann, Romanze, Op. 28, No. 2 in F#
Reply #3 on: November 29, 2007, 12:38:25 AM
Hi Gerry,

Thanks for listening to my playing and giving so thoughtful a response including suggestions.  I would agree with you on making the duet themes played by the thumbs more dreamy.  Your approach to practicing that with all fingers first to attain a normal legato is very good advice.  Another approach would be to sing it to get the cantabile better fixed in the mind.  I don't believe I played it badly, but it could have been even better. 

Good catch on the voicing in part 3.  I kick myself, because when I went back just now and looked at the score, clearly by emphasizing the lower notes in those double notes, you bring out the descending scalar line, which is truly significant!  The tops are harmonic only.   ARRGGG!  I'm usually astute at spotting those lines.

On the motif at 24 and thereafter, I have a defense: The edition made me do it!  :(  Usually, I play either from an urtext or other well-respected edition.  When I studied this piece, however, I used Schirmer (yeah, ouch!).  Worse yet, it was the Harold Bauer edition.  As I looked at it tonight, I see where at the top of page 1 after "Edited by Harold Bauer" I had penciled "over-edited".  I wrote that in much later, because after studying the piece, I found in my music library another Schirmer edition (ouch again), but this time the Vogrich.  As I perused it, it was quite contrary to Bauer's in many, many details.  But back to Bauer (who was a wonderful pianist as you know).  The reason I put the accent on the final B#s rather than the C#'s is because that is the way Bauer indicated the phrasings, such that the lift-off would occur on the C#s and the drop of the arm on the B#s.  Had I used Vogrich, interestingly he instead shows a two-note slur encompassing the C# going to the B#, underneath the longer, overarching legato slur.  The two note slur would direct the pianist to emphasize the C# and lift off on the B#--exactly as you suggest.  One of the problems when publishers invite performing artists to edit is that the artists will sometimes notate the music the way they actually perform a piece in public, believing in their choices, and how helpful that will be to young pianists--not necessarily!  Others, of course, like Schnabel, could be quite scholarly.  The irony of all this is that I have a ton of Henle urtexts for Schumann's works, but not for this little Romance.  A bad edition will sabotage a performance every time!  Anyone reading this should take note of this caveat.

Thanks again, Gerry, for your comments.

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