Schumann, Robert. (1810–1856)
Papillons pour le Pianoforte seul. Liv. I ...Op. 2.
Leipzig: Kistner. [1832]. First edition, second issue. . 4to. Title; 3-11 pp. Engraved folio. [PN] 3131. Scattered minor foxing, otherwise in very fine condition. Finely bound in modern paper boards with three-quarter crimson calf.Papillons was composed between 1829 and 1831, while Schumann was still a law student in Leipzig and Heidelberg. By this point, he had resolved to abandon law in favor of a career in music and with Papillons, he marked an important step towards that end. In a letter of 1832 to his mother, he wrote: "From now on my life will become different; I stand alone; I almost balked to let the manuscript out of my hands - now it is printed for all the world to see and has fallen victim to the opinion of all and sundry...on many a sleepless night I see a distant image, like a destination - while writing out Papillons I feel a certain independence struggling to emerge."
Papillons was only the second work after the "Abegg Variations" that Schumann saw fit to publish. Though the title page of the first edition bears the words "Liv.I," perhaps implying that he had planned a second volume, this was never carried out. (2620)
Printed Music Classical Music