Schumann for the Clarinet

Description

Preface:

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) wrote about 250 songs for voice and piano. They form an outstanding part of his output and have few rivals in the history of song. They are essentially duets for voice and piano – rather than songs with piano accompaniment – and this must be reflected in playing these arrangements. The clarinettist must listen intently to the piano part, and must shade and vary the playing accordingly. The same, obviously, apllies to the pianist in performing the playable distillation of Schumann’s originals. The pieces are arranged roughly in order of the clarinet part’s technical difficulty. The speeds at which they are played need not follow the speeds of the original songs: on one case (no. 9), it is much slower than it is usually sung.