Obscure Music Monday: Schumann's Scherzo No. 1

Clara Schumann (Sept. 13, 1819 - May 20, 1896) was a German composer and pianist, born to musical parents in Leipzig. Her father was well-known throughout Leipzig, where he sold and repaired pianos, and gave piano lessons. She took lessons from him, and he also made sure she was educated in music theory, counterpoint, harmony, and composition. She had her first recital at age 10, and had a wildly successful career as a pianist from that point onward, receiving praise from audiences and critics alike. The day before she turned 21 she married composer Robert Schumann.

Schumann was as talented a pianist as she was composer, and was fond of writing for her instrument, the piano. Her Scherzo No. 1 is a brilliant and flashy work. A chromatically descending line begins the work and it quickly takes an intense turn, with the pianist hardly ever getting a break. There is a middle section where there sounds like there might be a brief respite, but not so. You think the respite is coming again when the piece moves to a calmer, more controlled section, but that goes by quickly before the ominous eighth notes in the left hand indicate things have gone back to being an intense wild ride.