Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47
by Robert Schumann
Completed in 1842, Schumann's Piano Quartet Op. 47 was composed in the same extraordinarily productive chamber music year as the Piano Quintet. Its four movements balance Romantic passion with Classical architecture; the Andante cantabile slow movement in particular is one of Schumann's most tender and sustained inspirations, with the piano weaving around a long cello melody. Brahms later cited both the Quartet and Quintet as models when composing his own chamber music.
Editions
Henle Verlag
Ernst Herttrich, 1986
Critical Urtext edition based on autograph and first edition. The standard modern performing and scholarly text.
Breitkopf & Härtel
Clara Schumann, 1887
Clara Schumann's edition from the complete works. Historically important; reflects late 19th-century performance practice.
Edition Peters
Heinrich Grünfeld, 1910
Practical performing edition, long standard in conservatories; some editorial markings mixed with original text.