Schumann gives us few clues as to what creatures or events are depicted within each movement. His 1853 composition Märchenerzählungen for clarinet, viola and piano also leaves the details to the imagination of the performers and the audience.
The autograph manuscript of the work was purchased in May 2014 by the Library of Congress, where it is currently preserved.
Langsam, mit melancholischem Ausdruck (Slowly, with Melancholic Expression) in D major
The fourth of these movements is based on a theme that resembles a theme introduced in the third movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (Op. 125). Whether this is coincidental is unconfirmed.
Sources
Margit L. McCorkle, Robert Schumann. Thematisch-Bibliographisches Werkverzeichnis, München-Mainz 2003, p. 160
Klaus Martin Kopitz & Torsten Oltrogge, Ein Dichter namens Louis du Rieux und Schumanns „Märchenbilder“ op. 113. Annäherungen an einen geheimnisvollen Verehrer des Komponisten, in: Denkströme. Journal der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, no. 11 (2013), p. 112–140 PDF
External links
Märchenbilder: Schumann's autograph manuscript in the Library of Congress