Melody, Op. 68 No. 1
Melody (Melodie), No. 1 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: a singing right-hand tune over a left hand of steady eighth notes.
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 | 60 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 24 measures, about 1:36 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | F♯4 to A5 |
| Left hand | G3 to C5 |
| On the path | Unit 9, Ledger lines |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Melody (Album for the Young), Op. 68 No. 1 | 3 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Melodie opens Robert Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68, the 43 short pieces he wrote in 1848 for his children. It is exactly what its title says: a melody, simple and singing, in C major.
How it is built. The right hand plays the tune in quarter notes, stepping down from the E at the top of the staff, with a few pairs of eighths. The left hand plays even eighth notes the whole way through: a line that moves under the tune while its thumb keeps coming back to G. Here and there the right hand adds a second, lower note of its own.
The tricky parts
- Singing tone. Play the tune a little louder than the left hand, and join its notes smoothly.
- Even eighths. The left hand should flow like water, never bumping on the repeated G.
- F sharp in measure 4, as the phrase turns toward G. It is written in beside the note.
Practice plan
- The tune alone: the Melody level, right hand, in Wait for me. This is how Unit 9 plays it.
- The left hand alone at the Full level, slowly, until the pattern flows.
- Hands together at 50% speed, with Loop this measure on any measure that stumbles.
In the path: Unit 9 for grown-ups plays its tune. The left hand reaches a little above the notes the path teaches in the bass.
Questions
Is Schumann's Melody a good first piece?
Yes. It opens the Album for the Young and is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 3 of 8. The right hand sings a tune in quarter notes; the left hand flows underneath in even eighths.
When did Schumann write the Album for the Young?
In 1848, for his children. It has 43 short pieces, the first ones easy enough for young players.
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