"Chiarina" from Carnaval

Listening Guide

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Played by Daniel Barenboim

Composer: Robert Schumann

Composition: "Chiarina" from Carnaval

Date: Published 1837

Genre: piano character piece

Form: aaba'ba'

Nature of Text: The title refers to Clara

Performing Forces: piano

What we want you to remember about this composition:

  • This is a character piece for solo piano
  • A dance-like mood is conveyed by its triple meter and moderately fast tempo

Other things to listen for

  • It has a leaping melody in the right hand and is accompanied by chords in the left hand.
  • It uses two slightly different melodies

Timing

Performing Forces, Melody, and Texture

Form:

Forte rising, leaping melody, in homophonic texture throughout

a

Fortissimo (very loud) rising, leaping melody now doubled in octaves

a

Mezzo-forte melody has leaps but a smaller range and descends slightly

b

Played once and then crescendos as it is repeated in octaves

a

Melody has leaps but a smaller range and descends slightly

b

Played once and then repeated in octaves

a