Fantasiestücke — In der Nacht

Fantasiestücke — In der Nacht by Robert Schumann, catalogued as Op. 12, is a work for solo piano in D-flat major. Composed during the Romantic era, it forms part of the composer's enduring contribution to the keyboard repertoire and is freely available in the public domain through archives such as IMSLP.

Robert Schumann's piano cycles — Carnaval, Kreisleriana, Davidsbündlertänze, Kinderszenen, Fantasiestücke, the Symphonic Etudes — invented the Romantic character-piece collection. His writing is by turns intimate and orchestral, lyrical and ironic.

The work is suited to advanced-level pianists. As with all repertoire from this period, study editions vary; the public-domain engravings linked here are based on the most widely-circulated nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century editions and are sufficient for serious study, recital preparation, and recording.

About Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann's piano cycles — Carnaval, Kreisleriana, Davidsbündlertänze, Kinderszenen, Fantasiestücke, the Symphonic Etudes — invented the Romantic character-piece collection. His writing is by turns intimate and orchestral, lyrical and ironic.

Key character — D-flat major

Warm, lush, songful. Chopin's Raindrop Prelude and the Berceuse glow in this key.

The Romantic Era

The Romantic era turned the piano into an orchestra under ten fingers. Chopin, Schumann, Schubert, Liszt, Brahms, and Mendelssohn pushed expression toward the personal and the poetic, exploiting pedal, color, and virtuosity in equal measure.

About the Character Piece form

A short, self-contained Romantic miniature with a distinct mood or programmatic suggestion — the genre that includes Schumann's Albumblätter, Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words, and Grieg's Lyric Pieces.