Traumerei (Continued)

Kinderszenen, Op. 15, which translates to "Scenes From Childhood, is a collection of 13 pieces of music that Schumann wrote in 1838 for piano. The themes of the pieces are very reminiscent of childhood, which is one of the most significant indicators of the harmonic structure found throughout: a fairly simple one. This is of particular importance because of the evolutionary direction music was taking at the time through the Romantic movement.

Romanticism was gaining a whole lot of momentum at the time this work was composed and that meant an increased use of chromaticism, a stronger reliance on folk-like melodies with a greater dynamic range (notably in the violin and piano due to technological advances of the time), and a more free harmonic "form" that commonly included dense harmonies and polyphony that added greatly to the emotional impact of the music.


The songs of the Kinderszenen are a suite of 13 short piano pieces that appear relatively easy but are actually considered some of the most challenging hurdles in the standard repertoire by many of the greatest pianists because of the skill, awareness of form and structure, and attention to detail that they require to deliver an emotionally charged performance.