Soldiers' March, Op. 68 No. 2
Soldiers' March (Soldatenmarsch), No. 2 of Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68 (1848), is a bright march in G major and 2/4, Octotune grade 4 of 8: crisp dotted rhythms and chords in the right hand over a marching bass.
At a glance
| Composer | Robert Schumann (1810–1856) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Beginner: grade 4 of 8 |
| Key | Key signature: 1 sharp (F♯) |
| Time | 2/4 |
| Tempo | 120 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 48 measures, about 47 seconds |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | C4 to G5 |
| Left hand | C3 to G4 |
| On the path | Unit 10, Keys of G and F |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Soldiers' March (Album for the Young), Op. 68 No. 2 | 4 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Soldatenmarsch, "Soldiers' March", is No. 2 of Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68 (1848). It is a child's parade: bright, firm and short, in G major (one sharp, F sharp) and 2/4.
How it is built. The right hand plays the tune with notes added under it, so much of the time it plays chords of two or three notes. The rhythm is a march's: dotted eighths and sixteenths, long-short, with firm eighths between. The left hand marches too, often in the same rhythm, with a bass that moves by step.
The tricky parts
- Dotted rhythms. Make the long note long and the sixteenth quick, snapping into the beat. Even the two out and the march goes limp.
- Chords with the tune on top. Read each chord from the bottom up, and keep its top note clear.
- Detached notes. A march wants short, springy notes, not legato. Lift between them.
- C sharp, written in where the music leans toward D major.
Practice plan
- The tune alone with the Melody level. This is how Unit 10 plays it.
- Clap the rhythm of the first measures, then the right hand's chords at the Full level in Wait for me.
- Both hands at 50% speed, then Play along, bringing it up to a march.
In the path: Unit 10 for grown-ups plays its tune. Unit 11's chords prepare the full right hand.
Questions
Is Schumann's Soldiers' March easy?
It is a Beginner piece, Octotune grade 4 of 8. The notes are in G major and within easy reach, but the right hand plays chords in a crisp dotted rhythm, which takes practice.
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