New Video Lesson Series by Graham Fitch
Schumann’s Album for the Young is a collection of delightful character pieces cherished by pianists at all levels. Published in 1848, this collection was originally composed as a birthday gift for Schumann’s daughter, Marie. Schumann, dissatisfied with the children’s pedagogical material available at the time, aimed to create more engaging and substantial pieces.
Although intended for young children, some compositions in the collection are intellectually and technically challenging, requiring a high level of maturity. The album was an immediate success, filling a gap in high-quality educational music not seen since Bach. Its influence sparked similar works from composers like Carl Albert Löschhorn and Tchaikovsky.
This blog post features excerpts from Graham Fitch’s new video series exploring this timeless musical treasure trove, giving tips on how to practise, interpret and teach each of the pieces in the first volume.
No. 1 – Melodie (Melody)
The first piece in the collection is both charming and packed with pedagogical value. It features interplay between the right hand playing the melody and the left hand providing a gentle quaver accompaniment, providing a fantastic study for developing various aspects of technique such as balancing voices, shaping a legato melody and use of arm weight!
No. 2 – Soldantenmarsch (Soldiers’ March)
This lively, extroverted piece in G Major uses dotted rhythms and bright chords to convey a sense of marching soldiers, offering opportunities to explore legato and staccato touches. It requires careful attention to articulation and voicing in order to achieve the vibrant, martial spirit intended by Schumann.
No. 5 – Stückchen (A Little Piece)
This simple, yet elegant melody, in the right hand accompanied by a subtle left hand background requires excellent tonal control, with the melody shaped beautifully and played slightly firmer than the left hand. Shaping the melody can be aided by softening phrase endings and avoiding percussiveness when playing repeated notes.
No. 8 – Wilder Reiter (The Wild Rider)
This lively and playful piece uses a six-eight rhythm to mimic a rocking motion, while varying interpretations evoke either gentle play or a child causing a ruckus. Clara Schumann’s perspective added a mischievous element, imagining a hobby horse colliding with furniture. The music alternates between A minor and F major, providing a good study for staccato and legato playing, dynamic contrasts and expressive phrasing.
A second instalment of selected excerpts are also available in this follow-on post. The video lessons for all eighteen works in the first part of Album for the Young are now available on the Online Academy. Click here to view the introductory video for the series or here for links to the video lessons.
These video lessons along with hundreds of others are all included with an Online Academy subscription and can be accessed by signing-in to your account if you have an active subscription. Click here if you are not a subscriber and would like to find out more or if you are not ready to subscribe, these videos are also available for once-off purchase from our store.
Other Didactic Works
The following are some further links to video lessons for additional didactic works that are both delightful to play and excellent for developing pianistic skills:
- Burgmüller – 25 Easy and Progressive Etudes, Op. 100
- S. Heller – Prelude in C# Minor (No. 10 from 24 Preludes, Op. 81)
- Tchaikovsky – La nouvelle poupée (No. 6 from Album pour enfants, Op. 39)
- Tchaikovsky – Douce rêverie (No. 21 from Album pour enfants, Op. 39)
- Inside Bartok’s Mikrokosmos
- JS Bach – Invention No. 4 in D Minor, BWV 775
Have a look at our Pieces to Play series for more repertoire ideas or click here to view a listing of our full collection of resources for the piano repertoire!