A little Schumann to brighten your day. This is the 3rd movement in the Piano Trio # 3 opus 80 written in 1847 by Robert Schumann. I upped the temp to around 90 beats per minute, the original piece is at 50 beats per minute. I think the faster tempo reveals what Schumann was really doing and expresses the genius of the piece. The quicker tempo really achieves the mood I want to express with this work.
This piece is based on Piano Trio 2 Op 80 – Movement 3 by Robert Alexander Schumann. From Wikipedia: This waltz-like third movement, in B-flat minor, is also extensively built on canonic imitation. The piece is labeled “In Moderate Motion” as to the tempo.
I like this part of the opus because one instrument gives you a melody, and then the others repeat it back to you but with subtle alterations. I like the theme, but to me the original, though inspired to look at as notes, left a lot to be desired when listening to it performed at the original tempo. I was just so slow! Beautiful, but slow.
This is four tracks of audio and uses the Mid/Side mastering technique. I used a combination of a sampled Fender Rhodes and a sampled DX7 FM Piano patches with various effects for the left and right hand of the piano accompaniment. I also added compression to the piano mix in order to achieve a constant volume for the backup to the cello and violin and to smooth the mix.
For the violin, I created a patch using the Europa Shapeshifting Synthesizer from Reason Suite as a VST. I started with a patch called Far Off Land and then messed it around with effects, filters and modulations until I got what i was looking for. I then liberally applied modulation wheel to the LFO to get the cutting effect I wanted. It is my violin for the purpose of this piece and I am really proud of it.
For the cello, I used the Grain Sample Manipulator and stared with a patch called Deep Blue Sea because I really like where it was going. After about two hours of effect programming and waveform manipulation and editing, I had it where i wanted it and it became my cello, albeit not one that ever existed on this earth.
These are all of the notes from the original score and I used the PDF copy from IMSLP the Petrucci Music Library which is a most excellent and awesome resource for musicians that want to muck about with classical music. The score I used was Robert Schumanns Werke, Serie V: Für Pianoforte und andere Instrumentem Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1880. Plate R.S. 23. Here is a link to a PDF that I created of the above mentioned score that only contains the 3rd movement if you want to follow along.
Here is a video that shows the music as it is performed.
