Hyperion Records

In his household book for 12 September, Schumann notes: ‘The little birthday poem of the children and my music.’ This was performed the following day in honour of Clara Schumann’s thirty-third birthday. According to the song’s title, the poem was by Marie, the Schumanns’ eldest child. The two-part writing has the light touch of a master, the authentic Schumann – particularly in the second half of the tiny piece. This is a charming glimpse, however brief, into the domestic life of the Schumann family where there was always a reason to make music.

from notes by Graham Johnson © 2004