Schumann Kinderscenen, Op. 15: Nos 1. 3 and 11

Structure

• Rounded binary form - with both repeated sections - A : || : B A : ||
• Long repetition works becasue there's no modulation away from the dominant key at the end (ends on tonic)
• Very repetative

Tonality

• G major
• No 'expected' modulation to dominant at end of section A
• Suggests E minor (bar 11-12) - not real modulation because chord 12(1) doesn't resolve to I

Texture

• Three textural layers in A sections - melody, inner triplet quavers and an independent bass line
  
• B section differs (bar 9-14) - melody played in thirds and bassline acts as counter melody

Structure

• Rounded binary form - with written repeats of bar 1-4
• A A || : B A : ||

Tonality

• B minor
  
• Modulations to G major (bar 9) and E minor (bar 11)
• Lengthy dominant preparation in B minor (bar 15-16)

Melody

• Mixture of conjunct and disjunct movement - with much scalic passagework
  
• Melodic sequence (bar 2, 9-12)
• Unexpected descent of minor 7th G-A (bar 9)

Harmony

• Perfect cadences (bar 7-8, 21-22)
• Dim 7th chord (bar 1) is chromatic - C sharp doesnt belong in G major
• Unusual progression (bar 11-12) - E minor chords II-V are followed by G major triad
• 4-3 suspension in inner parts (bar 7) - G-F sharp quavers

Melody

• Mixture of conjunct and disjunct movement (steps and leaps)
• Recurring rising minor 6th leap followed by stepwise descent (bar 1-2)
• Melodic sequence (bar 9-12)
• Bass line borrows features of opening melody (bar 9-12)

Rhythm

• Triplet quavers used in middle of accompaniment
• Melody features dotted rhythms

Harmony

• Perfect cadences (bar 4, 8, 20)
• Interrupted cadence V7-VI (bar 10-11, 12-13)
• Various 7th chords mainly dom 7ths, II7 - V7 (bar 10)
• Neapolitan chord in root position with dissonant harmony creates pedal effect (bar 13-15)
  
• Appogiaturas provides some dissonance (bar 2)

Texture

• Right hand melody accompanied by 'stride bass' patterns in left hand
• Exceptions - open 5th double pedal (bar 13-15) and sustained chord with inner ascending scale (bar 15)

Rhythm

• Continuous semiquaver movement
  
• Same two-bar rhythmic pattern occurs in melody throughout - brief deviation (bar 13-16)

• Melody-dominates homophony

• Functional harmony and tonality

• Modulation to related keys

• Clearly defined cadences

• Mainly diatonic harmony with occasional chromatic chords

• Diatonic melodies

• Balanced phrasing

• Simple rhythms

• Simple duple time

Structure

• Rondo form with some repeated sections - A B A C A B A
  
• Palindrome - same forwards and backwards

Texture

• Melody-dominated homophony - melody at the top (A section) or in the bass (B section)
  
• Mostly four part - three part with two descending 3rd parts to begin
• Start of C section (bar 21-24) three textural elements alternate - semiquaver mov. 6ths, single bass notes and off the beat 5-part chords
• MDH uses accompanied pattern like 'stride bass' (bar 25-28)

Tonality

• G major established in bar 4 - E minor suggested by initial I-Vb progression
• Modulation to E minor (bar 10) and C major (bar 12)
• Suggestions of A minor (bar 22) and B minor (bar 24) - clear moves to Em and Bm (bars 25-28)

Harmony

• Frequent imperfect cadences (Ic-V bar 4, 8)
• No weighty perfect cadences - un weighty (bar 10, 24 and end)
• Opening two bars highly chromatic
• N6 chord in B minor (bar 27)

Melody

• Diatonic - apart from chromatic start
• B section has disjunct melody in bass treated in sequence (bar 9)
• C section 2nd half opens with two-bar phrase spanning dim 4th - after treated as a sequence 

Rhythm

• Dotted rhythms feature in A section
  
• Elsewhere is semiquavers - in pairs (B), off-beat accompaniment (B), groups of 4 (C)
• Offbeat rhythms are prominent - in B section and C section