Schumann / Traumerei ("Dreaming") Is Essay

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The harmony is used for particularly dramatic effect in Bar 4, where four eight notes can be heard under beats 3 (the second half of a half-note) and 4. Schumann again creates movement in a similar way in Bars 8, 12, 14, and 20, where there is much more movement for the left hand than for the right. Schumann keeps most of his chords in the register below middle C; to do otherwise would create an overly dramatic darkness that would not be appropriate for the childhood memories this piece tries to call to mind for its listeners. He uses C3 on beat 1 for the harmony in Bar 13; it is the lowest note in the piece and adds to the sense of climax in Bar 14.

Schumann also made Traumerei emotional with his use of tempo. It is a slow piece, slowing even further with the ritard ("slower") at the end of the first eight bars, another at Bar 16, and a ritardando ("gradually slower) for the last three measures. The ritardando follows a fermata on a above C5. It is not the only occasion on which Schumann uses the high a (it appears in Bars 6, 7, 14, and 15) but the melody builds from the C4 octave beginning in Bar 16, so the high a is quite dramatic, more so because of the hold. Schumann releases the tension by creating a waterfall of descending notes after the high a with the gradual slowing that indicates the piece's conclusion.

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As characteristic of Romantic music, Traumerei is homophonic in texture, meaning that the melody is more prominent against the background of the harmony. The chords of the harmony support the melody, but never overpower it.

Penel and Drake (1998) and Almansa and Delicado (2009) both conducted studies on variations in timing in musical performance. Using statistical analysis, the discovered there were not significant differences in the timing of Traumerei as performed by students in graduate level piano performance compared to professional concert pianists. Penel and Drake point out what we all recognize: a piece is never played exactly as it is written in the score; performers vary several physical parameters. Individual systematic performance variations have been attributed to the performer's wish to transmit a particular message to listeners. That there tends to be relatively little variation in the performance of Traumerei speaks to Schumann's brilliant, economical writing. There is not a superfluous note in the piece. The melody is simple but made interesting with the slight variations that half-steps provide throughout. Dynamic markings appear as expected, where notes ascend. The final three bars of the piece are made even more emotional as the melody very softly and slowly after the dramatic pause of the fermata. The way to interpret the piece is thus made clear to the pianist and there is not a tremendous amount of room for interpretation that deviates from the composer's intent. It is the reason this.....

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