A Little Piece, Op. 68 No. 5
A Little Piece (Stückchen), No. 5 of Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68 (1848), is a Beginner piece in C major and 4/4, Octotune grade 3 of 8. The right hand sings in quarter notes, high on the staff; the left hand keeps steady eighths.
At a glance
| Composer | Robert Schumann (1810–1856) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 3 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: no sharps or flats |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 68 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 25 measures, about 1:25 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | A4 to A5 |
| Left hand | F3 to G4 |
| On the path | Unit 9, Ledger lines |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| A Little Piece (Album for the Young), Op. 68 No. 5 | 3 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Stückchen, "A Little Piece", is No. 5 of Robert Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68, written in 1848 for his children. It is one of the gentlest pieces in the book: a calm tune in C major, over a left hand that never stops.
How it is built. The right hand plays a tune almost entirely in quarter notes, high on the treble staff and just above it, up to the A on the first ledger line. The left hand plays even eighth notes throughout: a moving lower note against a repeated G above it, like a soft clock.
The tricky parts
- High notes. The tune lives around the top of the treble staff. Read up from treble G, or down from high C.
- Two speeds at once. Quarters in one hand, eighths in the other. Count "1 and 2 and" aloud so the eighths stay even.
- The repeated G. The left hand's thumb comes back to the same G again and again. Keep it light, so the lower notes carry the line.
Practice plan
- The tune alone with the Melody level. This is how Unit 9 plays it.
- The left hand alone, slowly: choose Left hand and the app plays the tune for you.
- Both hands at 60% speed, then raise it gently.
In the path: Unit 9 for grown-ups plays its tune. A few sharps in the left hand go a little beyond the path.
Questions
Is Schumann's A Little Piece easy?
Yes. It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 3 of 8, in C major and 4/4: a tune of quarter notes over a left hand of even eighth notes.
Credits and license
- Music: Robert Schumann (1810–1856)
- Typeset by Philippe Hézaine for the Mutopia Project
- License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece