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Hasche-Mann by Robert Schumann Analysis

Another piano miniature by Robert Schumann, Hasche-Mann or ‘Catch-me-if-you-can’ is an other piece of same length to Von Fremden Landern… Again, with the development of the piano in the romantic era such as the added octaves to make the piano have a range of seven octaves, Schumann in Hasche-Mann pushes the piano to the limits with the fast tempo and use of semi quavers (explaining the ‘Catch me if you can’ title). Below is a complete analysis of the piece. Feel free to skip to the parts most relevant to you.

Structure

  • The structure of the piece is in rounded binary form being A: BA. The first four bars are repeated exactly while the BA section uses the more conventional notation of repeat marks to signify a repeat.

Section A

  • Section A is in the key of B minor.
  • The opening two bar rhythm is repeated through the piece. There is much use of rhythm in this piece. 
  • The left is playing to accompany the right hand’s melody such as in bar 2.
  • There are appoggiaturas on the 1st and 2nd beat notes of bar 2.
  • At bar 2, the melody sequence of a descending conjunct motion is repeated again a little bit lower straight after.
  • The melody uses combinations of steps (conjunct) and leaps (disjunct) .
  • The melody uses a scalic (related to the musical scale of B minor) passage. 
  • At bar 8, there is a perfect cadence from V to I. 
  • Section A ends at bar 8. 

Section B

  • Section B is in the relative major key of G major.
  • There is a minor 7th leap at bar 9 from G to A. This is unusual.
  • In the left hand at bar 10, there is the use of 7th chords being ii7 and V7.
  • A pedal effect in the left hand of 13-14 is created from the repeated C and E.
  • At bars 13-14, there is a Neapolitan chord being C, E and G.
  • The key modulates back to B minor at bar 15 creating a dominant preparation. 
  • At bar 16, there is a rising chromatic scale which creates a dissonance effect. At the same time, there is a pedal on the dominant key of B minor. This ascending chromatic scale represents running away just like the pianist’s fingers are doing up the piano again explaining the title ‘Catch me if you can’.
  • Section B ends at bar 16.
Section A returns till the end finishing on a perfect cadence of chord V then I.

Summary

  • The key of the piece is in B minor. It modulates to G major in section B and modulates back to B minor just before the chromatic ascending scale. 
  • There are the use semi-quavers with the rhythm. As well as this, the same 2 bar rhythm pattern featured at the very start occurs in the melody throughout the piece.
  • The melody has combinations of steps and leaps as well as a lot of scalic passage work.
  • The piece only features perfect cadences at the ends of section A
  • The texture is melody dominated homophony.
  • The structure is rounded binary form A:BA with BA repeating.
Be sure to check the other pieces I have analysed on Ask Will Online.
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  1. Anonymous May 20, 2012

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