In Carnaval, Op. 9 (composed 1834-35; 27 minutes), that genre is transformed into a monumental statement. Written in the winter of 1834-5 (and finished during carnival season), its short pieces are framed between the opening Préambule (or Introduction) and the closing finale and construct a dense web of moods, cross relations, riddles and allusions. Originally, the set was subtitled “Faschingschwänke auf vier Noten” (“Carnival pranks based on four notes”), since it uses the four pitches that musically stand for the letters Asch (the native bohemian village of Ernestine von Fricken, Schumann’s fiancée at the time) but also Sch. A. (Schumann’s last and middle initials). Many titles refer to specific characters, some fictional (from the commedia dell’arte), others semi-fictional (such as Chiarina—reference to Clara Wieck, or Estrella—most likely Ernestine), and others real (Chopin and Paganini, whose movements are the only ones not based on the four pitches). Two very important characters that are both real and fictional, depending on the point of view, are Eusebius and Florestan, Schumann’s frequent noms de plume and representations of aspects of the personality he created for himself. The rich, colorful array of characters is constructed with incredible economy and precision: Chopin is captured in no more than thirteen bars; Florestan’s erratic disposition comes to life and self-destructs in just over a single page.
