Melody, Op. 68 No. 1

Robert Schumann

The first piece in the Album for the Young: a singing right-hand melody over a simple accompaniment.

C major · 4/4 · 60 beats per minute · 24 bars · 1 min 36 · intermediate level

The form

The sections of the piece and their chords: the map you learn before playing a single note.

A A B C B C

Section	Bars	Chords	Phrase ending
A	1–4	G7sus4/C · Cmaj7/E · F6 · C/E · Em7 · C · D7 · G/B V7sus4 · Imaj7 · IV6 · I · iii7 · I · V7/V · V	Imperfect cadence
A	5–8	G7sus4/C · Cmaj7/E · F6 · C/E · Em7 · C · D7 · G/B V7sus4 · Imaj7 · IV6 · I · iii7 · I · V7/V · V	Imperfect cadence
B	9–12	G · G/D · G/B · Em · G7sus4/D · Cmaj7/B · D7sus4 V · V · V · iii · V7sus4 · Imaj7 · II7sus4	—
C	13–16	C · C/E · F6 · C/E · Fmaj7 · Cmaj7 · Dm/F · C/E I · I · IV6 · I · IVmaj7 · Imaj7 · ii · I	—
B	17–20	G · G/D · G/B · Em · G7sus4/D · Cmaj7/B · D7sus4 V · V · V · iii · V7sus4 · Imaj7 · II7sus4	—
C	21–24	C · C/E · F6 · C/E · Fmaj7 · Cmaj7 · Dm/F · C/E I · I · IV6 · I · IVmaj7 · Imaj7 · ii · I	—

The key

C major: No sharps or flats
Scale: C · D · E · F · G · A · B
Pillar chords: I = C · IV = F · V7 = G7

The tricky passages

Bar 3: a melodic leap (octave)
Bar 7: a melodic leap (octave)
Bar 15: a melodic leap (more than an octave (14 semitones))

The plan: 13 days

Half an hour a day. First I help you understand the map of the piece, then we lay down the chord framework, learn each section phrase by phrase, work on the tricky passages, put it together and bring it up to tempo, until you can play it from memory.

With a free account

More pieces from the library

Ode to Joy · Ludwig van Beethoven
Prelude in C major, BWV 846 · Johann Sebastian Bach
Invention No. 1 in C major, BWV 772 · Johann Sebastian Bach
Minuet in G major, BWV Anh. 114 · Christian Petzold
Minuet in G minor, BWV Anh. 115 · Christian Petzold
Sonata in C major, K. 545: 1st movement · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Philippe Hézaine / Mutopia Project · CC BY-SA 2.5