The Wild Horseman (Album for the Young No. 8) MIDI & Sheet Music
Robert Schumann · 1848
2 pieces before The Happy Farmer in the Album for the Young, Schumann sets a horse galloping. A minor, 6/8: the right hand charges up in arpeggios while the left hand strikes the chords, and the whole ride is over in under a minute.
⏱0:37 with repeats♪417 notes🎚Beginner🎼A minor♩152 per quarter🎹C3 → F5🦶pedal marks
The Wild Horseman (Album for the Young No. 8) · Sheet music
In the middle the roles flip: the music turns to F major and the left hand takes the motif under right-hand chords. Then the gallop returns as before. That hand-over makes it a great exercise in evening out both hands, and a piece that impresses in your first year.
Short left-hand chords that don't weigh down the gallop
The motif moving to the left hand, in F major
A lively tempo that never runs away
The tricky passages
Bar 2 : the busiest bar, with 15 notes across both hands
Bar 23 : 6 notes in a row in the right hand, at about 5.1 notes per second
Playing The Wild Horseman on piano with Pianovera
This piece is made for Pianovera's scored Scrolling mode: short and rhythmic, you can replay it 5 times in 3 minutes. Practice each hand alone, then both together at 70% speed; the middle section, where the left hand leads, usually needs more repetitions than the rest.
Free, with no time limit and no ads: 10 pieces in full plus the piece of the week, 30-second excerpts of the others, the first 7 lessons and the 3D hands with no limit. Premium opens all 651 pieces.
About this piece
How long is The Wild Horseman?
The MIDI file lasts 0:37, with every repeat played in full: 26 bars in 6/8 (36 played with the repeats), 417 notes, at 152 bpm (quarter notes). Slowed to 60%, it lasts 1:02.
What level do you need to play The Wild Horseman?
We rate it beginner in A minor, with sustain pedal marks. The left hand stretches up to 8 semitones and the right hand up to 9 semitones (a sixth), across 29 semitones of keyboard (C3 to F5), at 11.1 notes per second on average. The first thing to work on: right-hand arpeggios, crisp and rhythmic in 6/8.
What is the hardest passage in The Wild Horseman?
It is bar 23: 6 notes in a row in the right hand, at about 5.1 notes per second.
What tempo should a beginner practice The Wild Horseman at?
Aim for 90 bpm (quarter notes), which is 60% of the file's tempo (152).
Is there sheet music for The Wild Horseman with fingering?
Yes: 233 fingerings, 26 bars, shown in full above and as a free printable PDF.
