Robert Schumann: Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) Op. 15 No. 6 Wichtige Begebenheit (An Important Event)

Kinderszenen was originally spelled Kinderscenen as can be seen from the cover of the first edition here.

Thirty movements were written for this collection, but only thirteen made it into the final Op. 15 publication. Schumann wrote the pieces during the spring of 1838 when he had good reason to take a trip back into childhood memories. He was dealing with distance from his fiancée, Clara Wieck, on tour at the time. Compounding this pain was Clara’s father’s disapproval of the relationship. Schumann himself commented in a letter to Clara about the “thirty small, droll things” that the origin of the pieces were her comment that he seemed “like a child.” ^[1]Schumann, Eric Jensen, Page 162

Unused pieces ended up in Bunte Blätter (Colorful Leaves), Op. 99 and Albumblätter, Op. 124. Those interested in these pieces must read The Rejected “Kinderscenen” of Robert Schumann’s Op. 15 from the Journal of the American musicological Society found here. In fact, Schumann was to combine these pieces with is Op. 21 Noveletten and call the whole collection Kindergeschichten (Children’s Tales).