Schumann: Album for the Young, Opus 68 Cover Image

Schumann: Album for the Young, Opus 68: Piano Book & 2 CDs

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Schumann: Album for the Young, Opus 68 Cover Image
Schumann: Album for the Young, Opus 68: Piano Book & 2 CDs

Schumann: Album for the Young, Opus 68: Piano Book & 2 CDs

By Robert Schumann / ed. Willard A. Palmer / perf. Kim O'Reilly

Level: Early Intermediate / Late Intermediate

Item: 00-22527
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Description
Numerous selections from Schumann's Album for the Young have long been favorites of intermediate students, and few collections fail to include the "Soldier's March," the "Happy Farmer" or the "Wild Horseman." This historically informed edition of the entire collection clearly differentiates the markings of the first edition from Clara Schumann's later-edited version. Discussions of ornamentation and the collection's origin are also included. The Alfred Masterwork Library CD Editions conveniently combine each exceptional volume with a professionally recorded CD that is sure to inspire artistic performances.

Pianist Kim O'Reilly Newman holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Illinois. She has performed throughout North America and Europe with the Hambro Quartet of Pianos and was an editor and recording pianist for Alfred Music. Kim is a brain tumor survivor and now specializes in performing music for the left hand.

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Additional Details
Series: Alfred Masterwork CD Edition
Publisher: Alfred Music
Page Count: 84
ISBN10: 0-7390-3692-0
ISBN13: 978-0-7390-3692-1
UPC: 038081234441
SKU: 00-22527

More about this title

About the Composer: Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann (1810, 1856) was a composer and critic who shaped Romantic music through both his compositions and his passionate writings about musical aesthetics. He had a gift for character pieces, short, expressive works that captured a single mood or narrative, and wrote extensively for the piano, an instrument he understood intimately despite his own technical limitations as a performer.

Album for the Young stands among Schumann's most enduring legacies in music education. Composed in 1848, the collection emerged from his conviction that music for young people need not be simplistic or artistically compromised. Each piece in the album carries genuine musical substance while remaining within the technical reach of developing pianists, making it a cornerstone of intermediate piano repertoire for nearly two centuries.

Why we love this

Schumann's character pieces are uncompromising in their musicality while remaining genuinely playable at the intermediate level. This Alfred Masterwork edition distinguishes between Schumann's original intentions and Clara's later revisions, giving students and teachers a transparent window into compositional choices. The included professional recordings serve as both interpretive reference and inspiration without prescribing a single "correct" reading.

What to expect

These pieces evoke childhood experience without condescension: a soldier's march that swaggers with youthful pride, a farmer contentedly at work, a wild rider in full gallop. Schumann's harmonic language carries sophistication and emotional nuance, creating moments of tenderness, joy, and drama that resonate with performers and listeners alike.

Who it's for

Early to late intermediate pianists who are ready to move beyond exercise-level material into repertoire with genuine artistic content. Teachers seeking a comprehensive, historically grounded collection that supports both technical growth and musical interpretation will find this edition particularly valuable.

How to get the most out of it

  • Attend to the dynamic shadings marked in the first edition versus Clara's revisions. Even small differences in phrasing can shift the character of a piece significantly, and comparing the two approaches deepens interpretive thinking.
  • Approach the ornamentation notes carefully. The included discussion of period performance practice illuminates how these figures should sit within the melodic line rather than interrupt it.
  • Listen to Newman's recordings not as an instruction manual but as a pianist's artistic choices. Notice her tempo relationships, her treatment of rubato, and her balance between voices; then make your own decisions based on what serves the music.
  • Build continuity across the collection. Even the shortest pieces benefit from purposeful phrase shaping and voice leading that connects rather than isolates moments.

How to use it

Scatter selections throughout a student recital to showcase versatility and maturity. The collection's shorter pieces work beautifully as opening or closing numbers, while longer selections like the "Wild Horseman" can anchor a program. Consider pairing pieces from the album with Schumann's other works to build a portrait of his compositional voice across a single concert.

Skills your students will build

  • Interpreting performance markings from different editions and understanding historical context in notation
  • Executing ornamental figures (trills, grace notes) in the Romantic style
  • Shaping character and narrative through tempo, dynamics, and voicing choices
  • Reading and performing at both early and late intermediate levels within a single collection
  • Building musical independence of hands while maintaining overall phrase coherence

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