Editing Robert Schumann (section)

===Solo piano===
{{listen
 | header       = [[Fantasie in C (Schumann)|Fantasie C major]], Op. 17 (1836, revised 1839)
 | filename     = Robert Schumann - Fantasie - Sempre Fantasticamente ed Appassionatamente.ogg
 | title        = 1. Sempre Fantasticamente ed Appassionatamente
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 | filename2    = Robert Schumann - Fantasie - Moderato, Sempre energico.ogg
 | title2       = 2. Moderato, Sempre energico
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 | filename3    = Robert Schumann - Fantasie - Lento sostenuto Sempre piano.ogg
 | title3       = 3. Lento sostenuto Sempre piano
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}}{{See also|List of solo piano compositions by Robert Schumann}}{{listen
| header   = [[Arabeske (Schumann)|Arabeske in C major, Op. 18 (1839)]]
| filename    = Schumann-arabeske-andrea-valori.ogg
| title       = Arabeske (Schumann)
| description = Mario Andrea Valori, piano
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Schumann's works in some other musical genres – particularly orchestral and operatic works – have had a mixed critical reception, both during his lifetime and since, but there is widespread agreement about the high quality of his solo piano music.<ref name=hall1125/> In his youth the familiar Austro-German tradition of [[Bach]], Mozart and [[Beethoven]] was temporarily eclipsed by a fashion for the flamboyant showpieces of composers such as [[Ignaz Moscheles|Moscheles]]. Schumann's first published work, the [[Abegg Variations|''Abegg'' Variations]], is in the latter style.<ref name=g762>Daverio and Sams, p. 762</ref> But he revered the earlier German masters, and in his three piano sonatas (composed between 1830 and 1836) and the [[Fantasie in C (Schumann)|Fantasie in C]] (1836) he showed his respect for the earlier Austro-German tradition.<ref>Solomon, pp. 41–42</ref> [[Absolute music]] such as those works is in the minority in his piano compositions, of which many are what Hall calls "character pieces with fanciful names".<ref name=hall1126/>

Schumann's most characteristic form in his piano music is the cycle of short, interrelated pieces, often [[program music|programmatic]], though seldom explicitly so. They include {{lang|de|[[Carnaval (Schumann)|Carnaval]], [[Fantasiestücke, Op. 12|Fantasiestücke]], [[Kreisleriana]], [[Kinderszenen]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Waldszenen]]}} (Wood Scenes). The critic [[J. A. Fuller Maitland]] wrote of the first of these, "Of all the pianoforte works [''Carnaval''] is perhaps the most popular; its wonderful animation and never-ending variety ensure the production of its full effect, and its great and various difficulties make it the best possible test of a pianist's skill and versatility".<ref>Fuller Maitland, p. 52</ref> Schumann continually inserted into his piano works veiled allusions to himself and others – particularly Clara – in the form of [[ciphers]] and musical quotations.<ref name=g768>Daverio and Sams, pp. 755 and 768</ref> His self-references include both the impetuous "Florestan" and the poetic "Eusebius" elements he identified in himself.<ref>Chissell, p. 88</ref>

Although some of his music is technically challenging for the pianist Schumann also wrote simpler pieces for young players, the best-known of which are his {{lang|de|[[Album for the Young|Album für die Jugend]]}} (Album for the Young, 1848) and Three Sonatas for Young People (1853).<ref name=hall1125/> He also wrote some undemanding music with an eye to commercial sales, including the {{lang|de|[[Blumenstück (Schumann)|Blumenstück]]}} (Flower Piece) and {{lang|de|[[Arabeske (Schumann)|Arabeske]]}} (both 1839), which he privately considered "feeble and intended for the ladies".<ref>Jensen, p. 170</ref>