The piano duet arrangement of Schumann’s Studies in Canon by Bizet are hidden treasures in the repertoire. Bizet’s exploration of Schumann’s music adds to the composer’s original intention by exploring the musical texture in a broader musical space. This is a quiet slow movement in reflective mood with a compositional approach that is vocal in its style and certainly in the first instance reminiscent of Bach’s 4 part chorale writing although with romantic chromatic harmony. The melody is not always in the top line and as in 4 part chorale writing it is the tenor line that often needs to be prominent. The second middle section is presented as a fugal exposition. The final section is introduced by a dotted rhythm as an upbeat in bar 32 and returns to the mood and style of the first section although this final section has more contrast and is more dramatic. Schumann’s original intention is to combine beauty of sound with a legato touch and it is important for pianists to aim for the best legato possible in their playing. The realisation plays back at 60 quarter note beats to the minute with the tempo is marked adagio in the score. This is a challenging movement from the music reading point of view because of the chromaticism and tied notes. For those wishing to see how the ornaments in the realisation are played refer to the video score on the PlentyMusicCo YouTube channel. Simply click the link on the PlentyMusic home page and search for the score. Trills begin on the note. The final chord should be spread evenly from the lowest to the highest sound. There are many arrangements of this particular movement and the music editor suggests that along with Schumann’s other Studies in Canon they are ideal works to introduce intermediate level players to chamber music playing. Do explore the solo piano, piano duet, two piano and trio versions available on the PlentyMusic website. Accompaniments are also available enabling pianists to explore and develop their ensemble skills. The primo part sounds on one side of the stereo channel and the secondo part on the other. There are four accompaniments available in the tempo range from 58 to 64 quarter beats to the minute.

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