Clarinet and Piano
with parts for clarinet in A and B flat
The circumstances in which these poetic “Soirée Pieces” (thus their original title) came into being are quite surprising. In 1849 Dresden was seized by violent political turmoil that ultimately forced Schumann to flee with Clara to the countryside. Yet none of this is apparent in the music of these three pieces, whose idyllic character signifies a longing for harmony and seclusion. Originally conceived for the clarinet, they were accompanied by alternative parts for violin and cello as early as the original print. We have subjected our editions to a thoroughgoing critique and include a section of detailed editorial notes.
G. Henle Publishers stands for Urtext sheet music of the highest quality. The Urtext editions not only provide the undistorted and authoritative musical text but are also aesthetically pleasing, optimised for practical use and extremely durable. And then there is the strong, distinctive blue profile: (almost) all of the Urtext editions are bound in the characteristic blue cardboard.
Musicians trust Henle's blue Urtext editions because they:
- provide an undistorted, reliable and authoritative musical text
- offer superb, aesthetically appealing music engraving
- are optimised for practical use (page turns, fingerings)
- are of high quality and durable (cover, paper, binding)
- contain a short preface that introduces the work (particularly useful for AMEB exams) in German, English and French, as well as explanatory footnotes for particularly interesting passages in the score
- contain a description of the sources, an evaluation of the sources, readings and a documentation of the corrections made (= "Critical Report") in German and English, and often also in French
