** I do not own anything seen or heard in this video. The rights to the piece are held by Robert Schumann and the rights to the recording are held by Boris Giltburg. **

The work has 21 sections, plus a separate line in between the 8th and 9th sections, titled Sphinxes, that contains a description of the aforementioned musical codes. Sections 16 and 17 are actually a single piece with the middle section having its own title; they are commonly numbered separately.

1. Préambule (A♭ major; Quasi maestoso)

The Préambule is one of the few pieces in the set not explicitly organized around the A-S-C-H idea. It was taken from the incomplete Variations on a Theme of Schubert. The theme was Schubert's Sehnsuchtswalzer, Op. 9/2, D. 365.


2. Pierrot (E♭ major; Moderato)

This is a depiction of Pierrot, a character from the commedia dell'arte, commonly represented in costume at a ball.


3. Arlequin (B♭ major; Vivo)

This is a depiction of Harlequin, another character from the commedia dell'arte.


4. Valse noble (B♭ major; Un poco maestoso)


5. Eusebius (E♭ major; Adagio)

Depicting the composer's calm, deliberate side.



6. Florestan (G minor; Passionato)

Depicting the composer's fiery, impetuous side. Schumann quotes the main waltz theme from his earlier work Papillons, Op. 2, in this movement.


7. Coquette (B♭ major; Vivo)

Depicting a flirtatious girl.


8. Replique (B♭ major – G minor; L'istesso tempo)

A 'reply' to the coquette.

--. Sphinxs

This consists of three sections, each consisting of one bar on a single staff in bass (F) clef, with no key, tempo, or dynamic indications. The notes are not given lengths but are written as blocks only where they are pitched on the staff. The pitches given are the notes E♭C B A (SCHA) and A♭C B (AsCH) and A E♭C B (ASCH). As it doesn't actually contain any real notes, it was obviously not intended to be played in performance.


9. Papillons (B♭ major; Prestissimo)

This piece is unrelated to his earlier work of the same name.


10. A.S.C.H. S.C.H.A. (Lettres Dansantes) (E♭ major; Presto)

Despite the title, the pattern used is As-C-H.


11. Chiarina (C minor; Passionato)

A depiction of Clara Schumann.


12. Chopin (A♭ major; Agitato)

An evocation of his colleague Frédéric Chopin.


13. Estrella (F minor; Con affetto)

Depicting Ernestine von Fricken.


14. Reconnaissance (A♭ major; Animato)

Likely depicting Schumann and Ernestine recognizing each other at the ball.


15. Pantalon et Colombine (F minor (ends in F major); Presto)

The characters Pantalone and Columbina from the commedia dell'arte.


16–17. Valse allemande – Paganini (A♭ major – F minor – A♭ major; Molto vivace – INTERMEZZO: Presto)

A German waltz, with an evocation of Niccolò Paganini in the middle. 16 and 17 are actually a single piece in ABA form: #16 consisting of the initial A-part (Molto vivace) entitled "Valse Allemande", followed by #17 the B-part (Intermezzo: Presto) entitled "Paganini" and a reprise of the entire Valse A-part again (Tempo I: ma più vivo).


18. Aveu (F minor – A♭ major; Passionato)

Depicting a confession of love.


19. Promenade (D♭ major; Con moto)


20. Pause (A♭ major; Vivo)

A short introduction and a quote of the first section Préambule, leads into the final section.


21. Marche des “Davidsbündler” contre les Philistins[15] (A♭ major; Non allegro)

Quotations from a number of the previous sections fleetingly reappear; the Grossvater Tanz, identified by Schumann in the score as a "Theme from the 17th Century" and intended to represent those holding to old-fashioned, outdated and inartistic ideals[16] (i.e., Philistines) is quoted from his earlier work Papillons, Op. 2.

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