Week 1: Voicing, Texture in Schumann's Music
Welcome to Week 1 of the latest Two-Week Intensive!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RJ1WsNPulY
This week, youāll choose one or two pieces and study the harmonic colours, voices, and texture. This should help you memorize the text and understand its shape.
Preparatory Step: Gather Information
A) Listen to the repertoire list and choose the piece(s) you'd like to focus on for this TWI. (from Kinderszenen 3-4 pieces may work). Recommended pianists: Virsaladze, Argerich, Cortot, Horowitz, Richter, JoĆ£o-Pires, Arrau, Ashkenazy, Lupu, Perahia, Gavrilov, Merzhanov, Uchida, Grimaud, Nikolayeva
B) Research your chosen piece on G. Henle Verlag website. Click on Preface and Comments under the cover picture.
C) Watch any of these videos about Schumann and his music:
Overview of Schumann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbF86ag4Rvk
Claudio Arrau on Schumann: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4ty6yJjF8U
Simon Rattle on Schumann and Brahms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXTTlKdy5q4
Mitsuko Uchida on Schumann: https://youtu.be/u1vYu56xY9w?si=Ney0HGSqBkYZI8zs
- Anatomy of Poetry: Voices of Harmony
A. Write the main theme in SATB open score. Each layer/voice should have its own staff (see photo 1).
B. Label chords (symbols, Roman Numerals, etc).
C. Play from your open score and singing in solfege or open syllables, in the following order:
Alto
Tenor
Bass
Alto + Tenor
Tenor + Bass
Alto + Tenor + Bass
Memorize Alto+Tenor+Bass
*If your pieceās melody is in Alto, Tenor, or Bass, work on the other voices. Learn harmony first.
For TWI Forum:
Upload your open score to the chat for comments.
- Anatomy of Poetry: Texture
Study the texture and consider the following as you work.
āCount the total number of notes in each chord and write the total on the score. (see photo 2).
āIdentify textures, ie. monophonic, biphonic/duet, polyphonic, homophonic, etc. Label changes in texture, ie. āSubito monophonyā (abrupt or instant reduction of voices to a single voice, eg. Romances Op. 28 nr. 2, m. 17.)
āDescribe topics, moods, emotions, instruments, or ideas indicated by textures. Descriptive phrases should metaphorize related elements and point to changing states, eg, āThe harmony ambiguates as texture thins: it sounds like the experience of losing oneās train of thought.ā
āDetermine where sustain and/or sostenuto pedal will be necessary and the quantity needed: full-/half-/quarter-sustain, fluttering, no pedal, etc. Record the harmony using a variety of approaches to pedal.
For TWI Forum:
Upload a performance of the harmonic voices
Upload a performance of the different pedal changes (say aloud "change" or "quarter pedal" or "flutter" so it's clear where you're doing these)
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What a great topic! Thank you for all the information.
I was learning some of the Kreisleriana, but i didn't see it on the list. So, I'm going to try Fantasie, Op. 17 3rd movement (Langsam getragen).
Looking forward to joining this TWI with everyone!
Unfortunately, I have to travel end of the week, not sure if i'll have access to piano to record anything.
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Lc bar 1 soprano - all notes are doubled with the alto (E-G-C-B), giving the effect of a duet between Soprano and Alto: Alto has dotted quarters, soprano in eighths. The rests you've added are not in Schumann's score because the soprano is theoretically singing the same notes the alto is, but just for a shorter duration and in the background for continuity. Bar 2 d-sharp indicates augmented chord (F - F - Dsharp - B = Italian 6th, labelled It6). The next beat is cadential dominant (V64 - 53) in a minor.
In m5, the chord you're looking for in beat 4 is a V42 (dominant third inversion) with a passing tone (PT) in the bass (to smooth voice leading into the next bar).
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What I love about the tone of the TWI is the focus on expression, gesture, and meaning from the moment we first begin to learn a piece. I wish I had learned to play that way as a child.
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Jarred Dunn Dominic Cheli Thanks for uploading this; I had planned to work on Des Abends. Unfortunately, my mother-in-law had some health complications this past weekend, and she will now be staying with us for a couple of weeks until she recovers. Given this, Iāll have less time than I originally anticipated, so I donāt want to take up a spot if someone else could use it. However, if possible, Iād love to observe whenever Iām able in the hopes of absorbing some of the material.
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Blair Boone-Migura Iām so sorry to hear that! I hope your mother in law feels better soon.
By all means observe the TWI, you are not taking up a spot! Happy to have you participate from afar!
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Thanks so much Dominic!
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Hi Jarred Dunn Thank you for the instructions you have given us. It`s just amazing to see how top professional takle with music. Some music terminologies are something I barely heard of... to be very honest. Not quite sure if I`m adequate enough in my skill and knowledge for this TWI. Good to know that it is OK to follow and study from you all. I love leaning something new:)
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Sachi Yes, I'll be lurking here in the background with you! I am not at the level of playing these pieces, yet - my foray into Schumann has been limited to his opus 68 Album for the Young. But I'm sure I'll learn a lot just by watching and reading everyone else.
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Hi Michelle R
I used to practice many of Schumannās op.68. I like sweet calmness in them. Yes, it is interesting and fascinating to observe how musicians think. Iām glad to have opportunity to learn from them and hopefully slowly get strengthened my own piano muscles
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Jarred Dunn Thank you for this wonderful intensive. I'll be working on Kinderszenen No. 1. Before I upload my SATB open score, wanted to check with you on the second part of the piece. For the first 8 bars, I had the same question as Andres and split the triplets into Tenor and Alto. But when I got to bars, 9 through 14, I was wondering if the triplets should be considred a single voice (Alto) instead of split between Tenor,and Alto (which would be different from the way I approached the triplets of the first 8 bars.) Hoping to see if I'm on the right track before I clumsily work on putting everything into Musescore.
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Helen Lee You are right!
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Jarred Dunn Hello! I tried separating out the voices for both No. 1 and No. 3 of Kinderszenen. Appreciate any feedback (especially on No. 3). I often had the urge to group the Alto and Tenor voices together, but stuck to keeping them separate based on your feedback to other folks here. I'll slowly work on labeling the chords. Thank you.
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Helen Lee this was the right question : is it alto/tenor together or separate? You picked the right option. When practicing you'll sense when voices continue or when they are in dialogue. This is especially crucial in Nr. 3 because it's a fast piece and needs voice distinctions to capture the hastiness in the character without sounding mechanical.
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Hi TWI friends and Jarred Dunn
I did a little research by using almost
all my resources 
(theory book, Wiki and chords finder) and gave it a try.This is from Kinderszenen: Wichtige Begebenheit. The first 4 bars here, I wasnāt sure if Alt part should be one voice and Tenor part two voices? You probably mean that I should make informed dicision, be aware of which voices come foreward.
Musical texture: homophony in these 4 bars
Mood: this piece gives me feel of almost victorious, pompous...I envision Clara asks to prepare their houshold for important visitor, Liszt is coming over for dinner. Kinderszenen was written before Robert and Clara got married, so this is just my fantacy. I enjoyed reading preface on Henle, thank you for that, too Jarred.
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Sachi Good penmanship and choice of two altos. The tenor and alto are too far apart to be the same voice. Next, write an open score of the B section as well, which will deal with multiple low voices (first portion of this work deals with multiple high voices).
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Sachi I love your description of of the mood of this piece. It makes for a very distinct transition into Traumerei which comes next, doesn't it?
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Jarred Dunn Thank you for encouragement to work more with analysis. Here comes just 4 bars from B section Kinderszenen: Wiechtige Begebenheit.
I didnāt discover before doing this analysis that left hand accompaniment plays same notes octaves apart almost entire piece!
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Sachi good work that led to your discovering the LH pattern - this generalization is a valid one and is rooted in the text. Your chord labels, tally of voices, and roman numerals reveal the function of each seventh chord. Chord analysis will be more complete when you add the superscript numbers for chord inversions: eg., m1 of your score should have IV for Beats 1 and 2, and on beat 3 the root of the chord is f-sharp (=first inversion), so there should be the number "6" there to indicate the change of chord position. This adds more colour to the analysis and will remind you when singing/playing that a bass inversion is a new colour.
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Jarred Dunn Thank you for the detailed answer. Youāre awesome
I need to learn and understand about expressing chords by figured bass. That part of music theory has been too hard for me a couple of years back but maybe I can comprehend now?
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Jarred Dunn Thank you for this TWI - the first time I have attempted splitting up the voices; also the first time using a notation software (MuseScore) :)
I have taken the first 8 bars of Of Foreign Lands and Peoples. Next step (for me) is to play these voices separately as in the assignment (and record). Before I do that, I think I should write down the fingering as I would use for the piece first?
Thanks again
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Ah, noticed an error- the F#s have become natural. I think because I changed the key signature after entering the notes!
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Jarred Dunn
Have tried to work out the chords, with some success I hope. Bars 1-4, the progression is I-V-I-V if I take only the first beat of each bar; similarly Bar5-8 it is I-IV-?V-I. Am I getting this?Of Foreign Lands and Peoples I chords
Thanks again. Finding the exercise quite enjoyable :)
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Rashmi Lahiri The chords you're missing are:
m1 and 3, beat 2: vii diminished 7th of V (d major)
m5: I6 (first inversion tonic chord, g major)
m7: V64 - 53 (cadential dominant)
The so-called "functional" view of m1-4 is what you wrote: I - V - I - V (tonic function - dominant function - tonic function - dominant function). You are right about m5-8: I - IV - V - I (tonic - predominant - dominant - tonic).
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Jarred Dunn Amazing - thank you!
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Iām planning to work on the Romance 28/2. Iām currently out of town but will be home on Sunday. This is my first TWI and I wasnāt sure what to expect! May not have been the best timing, but I am excited to join in as much as possible. I saw that my edition is Bauer, so Iāve downloaded the Clara Schumann edition. I will look for manuscript paper while weāre out today! Any suggestions on music notation apps?
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Kakie Roberts thanks for joining and for getting the better edition. For notation appsā¦ pencil and staff paper!
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