composed 1829-1833
Dédiée à son ami Louis Schuncke
The
Toccata, op. 7, is one of Robert Schumann’s first compositions. It
reveals Schumann’s expressive potential, although the main motif is a veritable
exercise in double notes. He dedicated the work to his childhood friend
Ludwig Schunke, who died young. “If you dedicate a piece to someone,
you want it to be played in an exemplary fashion; for many reasons I alloted
him perhaps one of the most difficult of piano pieces, the toccata…He flew
to it like an eagle, with Jupiter’s lightning bolts in his nerves, but
his eyes quietly gleaming.”
Translation: William Melton
© Franz Vorraber
© Franz Vorraber