Exercise 2

  1. Listen to this:

    The piece is Aufschwung by the composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

    • Aufschwung means ‘soaring’, and the music reflects this. List or discuss the musical elements employed to accomplish this.
    • A fast tempo is one obvious feature. What about the others?
    • Listen to other pieces from Fantasiestücke to collect some more ideas (the rest of the video link).
    • Technically, they vary in standards, from the very easy to the more challenging. Therefore, children and more experienced players can enjoy them.
  2. Compose a 2-bar rhythm (and pitch if you wish) to describe the galloping of a horse. Include a tempo mark such as Allegro/Adagio/Moderato.

Aufschwung is a piece from a set or suite called Fantasiestücke (fantasy pieces).

The composers Schumann and Edvard Grieg were probably the pioneers that brought the musical miniature to the audience’s attention. They both also composed many of these short works for piano.