Novelette
Narrative piano piece (Schumann).
What it means
The novelette is a piano piece of narrative character that does not fix a plot but shows a flow of different moods and episodes, like a short story. The title goes back to the word novella and points to a freely shaped piece with no fixed formal scheme.
Musical use
Robert Schumann made the title known in 1838 with the eight Novelletten, Op. 21. They are larger-scale piano pieces with lively themes, contrasting sections and, in part, hints of dance and march. Later other composers took over the title for piano works and also for chamber music.
The novelette should be distinguished from the character piece in general, which can depict any mood, from the ballade, which tells a dramatic event, and from the song without words, which follows a sung melody.
Performance practice
When you play a novelette, imagine that you are telling a story: shape the sections with different color and movement but keep the thread so that the piece remains understandable as a whole.