Fantasy piece
A character piece in Schumann.
What it means
Phantasiestück designates a Romantic character piece, usually for piano, occasionally for a chamber-music scoring. The title does not refer to a form but to an attitude: every piece presents a state, a mood, or an image, without following a formal plan. Such pieces often appear in collections, in which several characters follow one another and join into a larger context.
Musical use
The layout is usually manageable, often three-part with a contrasting middle section, sometimes in a sequence. Characteristic is the concentration on a single musical idea that is not developed but savoured — a figure of movement, a harmonic fall, a rhythm. Titles of individual pieces often give a hint of the intended mood, without telling a programme. Within a collection, coherence arises through the sequence of keys, through recurring motifs, or through the succession of contrasting characters. The genre thus stands alongside the bagatelle, intermezzo, Nachtstück, and humoresque.
Performance practice
Determine the character before working on details, and let it be audible from the first bar. Keep the carrying figure even; in short pieces every unevenness stands out. Shape the middle section distinctly differently and prepare the return. With collections, plan the sequence: tempos, keys, and pauses between the pieces belong to the effect of the whole. Use the pedal as colour and change it by ear at harmony changes.
Bear in mind that such pieces usually stand in collections and draw their effect from the sequence: taking out a single piece is possible but demands a justification in the programme. Check the sequence of keys and recurring motifs, because they create the coherence. Read the poetic movement titles along, such as Des Abends or Aufschwung in Schumann, because they determine the expression. Use the pedal as colour.
Check whether individual pieces carry titles, because they name the character and guide the shaping.
For op. 73, according to Schumann's own indication, the clarinet part can also be played by violin or cello.