Romance No. 2 in F sharp major opus 28 was written by Robert Schumann in 1839 as part of a set of three pieces for piano called Drei Romanzen. I have also recorded Romance No. 1.
The opening theme consists of a beautifully gentle and tender melody voiced in the middle as two parts, surrounded by accompanying broken chord patterns in the treble and bass. This clever use of texture – having the main melody in the middle instead of the top or bottom enriches the sound and grabs the attention from the outset. Later on in the piece, the ideas are developed with the melody appearing in the treble, accompanied by broken chord patterns in the middle parts, and strong octaves in the bass. When the main theme reappears with the original texture of melody sandwiched between treble and bass accompaniment, a slightly different feel is created by use of a pedal point in the bass. A pedal point is not the same as the pedal on the piano which is used throughout this piece. Instead, this is where a particular note is sustained or repeated in the bass – in this case it is the dominant of the key (the fifth degree of the scale), even while the overall harmony is changing. This creates a feeling of tension and dissonance which is then resolved, gradually leading into the final section, where first we hear a passionate sequence of chords changing in quick succession to increase the momentum, then the music starts to draw to a close with a thinning of texture and fading of sound.
I recorded this video in August 2024.
You might also like:
Here is another original improvisation of mine combining Romantic, impressionistic and contemporary elements: Remnant — Improvisation in E Aeolian & D Mixolydian ♭6
If you enjoyed Romance no.2 by Schumann, you might also enjoy Am Abend by Hofmann, or Intermezzo in A Minor by Brahms.
You might be interested to learn about how improvisation is a skill that can help you improve your classical piano playing and understand music in greater depth – I’ve written a blog post exploring how improvisation develops musical expression and interpretation — and why creating your own music can transform the way you play pieces that you learn. Read the full article → Improvisation at the Piano: Finding Freedom Through Sound
