Musical Analysis: Robert Schumann Papillons Op. 2

      

    History

  Robert Schumann's Papillons ("butterflies" in French) is a Piece that consists of several separate movements, that all fit together to form a musical scene. Schumann was a German romantic era composer from the 1800s who wrote almost exclusively for piano up until his later life when he wrote a few other things such as operas and orchestral pieces. This piece is reflective of his Bi-Polar disorder, having multiple switches between different styles, tempos, and dynamics in one piece. Papillons not only showcases Schumann's different personalities but is also a portrayal of a masquerade from the novel Flegeljahre. All this combining makes for a multi-layered journey of a song; very reflective of Schumann's different musical pseudonyms. 

    Structure

Papillons is comprised of 12 sections ranging from a slow introspective first movement to an almost frantic sixth movement to a grandiose finale with a recapitulation of the first movement inside the finale. As stated in the introduction, Papillons is supposed to reflect a masquerade, and each movement in the piece reflects a different part of the night, with people talking, laughing, and dancing the night away. If you listen closely, you can hear in the last few measures of the piece six "chimes" meant to represent the time of the morning in which the party ends. 

    Tempos

There a many, many tempo changes in this piece since it is after all meant to represent a party. It starts out with a moderately paced introduction and first movement, which are only three bars long combined. Right after, in the second movement, the rhythm gets faster and almost frantic, with sixteenth notes flying everywhere. After that, in the third movement, it turns into almost a march, with sforzando octaves in the left and right hand. For the sake of this blog post, I won't go into explaining the tempos of every movement but suffice it to say they are all very different from each other, while still feeling like you're at the same event participating in the evening's (or early morning's) activities. I would like to add a little about the finale. It starts out with a very slow, regal set of chords, making it feel like a king's throne room almost. Then, there's a burst of color for one bar, changing the meter from 3/4 to 2/4 interrupting the regality, and replacing it with a light feeling of a child's song. it then switches back to the theme of the first part of the finale, this time adding a recapitulation of the first movement in the right hand, combining the two themes with the slower tempo. All this makes for a very interesting and I'd even and riveting piece with never a dull moment. 

    Dynamics

As with the different tempos of Papillons, the dynamics just as wild and all over the place. In just the 10th movement, the dynamic goes from pianissimo for a bar and a half, to fortissimo with massive, blocky chords, then back to piano with legato left-hand notes and a sweeping melody int he right hand. From the first movement to the second, it goes from soft octaves in the right hand in 3/4 time, to wild arpeggios in 2/4 time, a sharp contrast I might say. Again, this supports the overarching theme of Papillons; A masquerade with many movements, themes, and dynamics. 

    Melodies

The melodies in this piece vary greatly from movement to movement (surprising I know). It's an overall very pleasant piece to listen to. It's not too overbearing or powerful that it makes your head hurt. There are soft movements and loud movements. The third movement will remind you of a kingly march, with octaves to make the melody sound louder and more pronounced. In the 4th movement, the melody is very soft and introspective, with a  burst of acceleration, going back to softness. When listening to Papillons you can almost hear from the melody of the different movements people laughing and dancing to the music, and partying on through the night. It's s very beautifully put together work and is extremely pleasant to listen to in person as well as online (but trust me, in-person is way better).

    Personal thoughts

I love this piece. Ever since I heard it the first time from one of my fellow students here at UAF, I've been enraptured by the intricacy of all the parts of the different movements working together to paint a scene from a masquerade and also portray the different feelings of Schumann. One of my favorite parts is in the last few bars. The volume is steadily getting quieter, and slowly fading away. The right-hand plays six A's, meant to be the chimes of the clock in the distance. As the Partygoers start to leave, a chord is played, with one note being let off every few beats until there is only one left, then the doors shut behind that last person and the masquerade is over. 

Alexander Ullman; Schumann, Papillons Op. 2

Robert Schumann. (2020, October 02). Retrieved October 4, 2020, from                                                            https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Schumann

Mehmetli, E. (2017). ANALYSIS OF ROBERT SCHUMANN’S OP. 2 PAPILLONS THROUGH A                      PERFORMING PRACTICE APPROACH (Unpublished master's thesis). ISTANBUL                              TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY  GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES.