Wasted on play?

Musical Times, Autumn 1999 by Sharp, Ian

IAN SHARP considers the reputation of a classic work of music education which has influenced the training of generations of pianists to the present day

THE YEAR 1848 was a memorable date in several ways, not least in terms of war, revolution, and great political questioning. By way of contrast, in the same year there appeared a small publication which has stood the test of time and which has had a profound influence on the course of music education. Indeed, millions of people must have come into contact with Schumann's Album for the young at some stage in their lives. So what is special about Schumann's approach to education, and what lessons can we still learn from it?

The very fact the Album for the young is an educational bestseller tells its own tale. The varied packaging of new editions has reflected the changing ideals of successive generations, and arrangements of the music continue to be produced, as in the Suzuki version of `The merry peasant' for violin and piano, now retitled `The happy farmer' but essentially the notes remain the same. It is clear that teachers and children continue to value Schumann's Album for the young, justifying questions about the nature of its success.

The album is ideally suited to its purpose as a set of teaching pieces. The recipe for success is straightforward enough. The individual pieces are suitably varied in style and complexity and are at the same time both artistic and pedagogical. Above all they do not talk down to child or teacher, for the technical simplicity of the Album for the young does not bring with it musical impoverishment - far from it.

The background to the composition of the music is significant, for it shows how an established composer came to be on the same wavelength as a beginner. Schumann was a husband and a father, and there was a pragmatic reason for writing the music. 'I wrote the first piece as a birthday gift for my eldest daughter and added the rest at intervals. It seemed I was once again starting out as a composer. You will even find traces of my old humour appearing here and there.

And as Clara wrote in the family diary: `The pieces that children usually learn in their piano lessons are so bad that it occurred to Robert to publish an album of such little pieces of his own.'2

Financial considerations also had a bearing on the composition of the pieces:

Another practical but very convincing proof (of appreciation) is offered by the publishers, who show a certain desire for my compositions, and pay high prices for them. I don't like speaking of these things, but I may tell you in confidence that my Jugendalbum, for instance, has a sale equalled by few, if any, among recent compositions. This I have from the publisher himself; and many of my books of songs enjoy the same popularity.3

Schumann was influenced, then, by these practical, almost prosaic, domestic issues when writing the Album for the young. Surprisingly, he appears to have been less directly moved by the concerns of the day, by the revolution and bloodshed in Dresden where the Schumann family were then living. Indeed, he turned in on himself and found composition a respite from the troubles around him.

I've been busy all this time; it has been my most fruitful year. It is just as though outer storms drive me more into myself, for only in my work do I find any compensation for the terrible storm that burst on me from outside.4

The titles of the pieces in the Album for the young were planned meticulously by the composer. Indeed, the various changes that he made in the descriptions have been subjected to much scrutiny, especially in the detailed study by Bernhard R. Appel.5

One of the best proofs that Schumann is concerned with the captions he attaches to pieces is found in the sketchbooks for Album fur die Jugend, where he wants to direct the listener's imagination. He changes the names until they precisely express his intentions; for example, the piece `Erste Verlust (First sorrow) was called Kinderungluck' (Child's misfortune) in the sketchbook, and `Armes Waisenkind' (Poor orphan child) was previously titled `Armes Bettlerkind' (Poor beggar child). But if he finds a suitable title, it helps to establish a general mood rather than point out particular instances.6

This is clear evidence that the composer took the writing, assembling and production of these pieces very seriously. This is yet another reason for the lasting success of the publication.

The titles range between standard musical terms (e.g. 'Melodie', no.l; `Kleine Fuge', no.40) and more imaginative descriptions (e.g. `Sol-- datenmarsch', no. 2 and 'Kriegslied' no.31). One can imagine the composer deliberately devising music with suitable teaching points in mind, to stimulate teachers and pupils: `Where does the tune return?', `What do we mean by "Recollections of the Theatre"?', and so on. To challenge pupils and their teachers there are some pieces that contain coded musical references to other composers and styles. This is further evidence of the composer's understanding of the very personal relationships that can be built up between pupil and instrumental teacher. A pupil who has worked through the whole album will encounter a wide range of musical styles and emotions, embracing grief as well as joy. There are historical and contemporary forms and several instances of the music styles of other countries. Indeed, the diversity of Schumann's approach could almost be seen as a direct precursor of the Music National Curriculum (1995) in which