Bunte Blätter

[1] Robert Schumann started work on assembling the collection of pieces that were eventually published as the Bunte Blätter Op.

His original plan was to publish the pieces as a single collection entitled Spreu (English: Chaff).

When the music publisher F. W. Arnold objected to the proposed title, Schumann decided to split the collection.

[3] Ernst Herttrich in his preface to the Henle score, comments that the specific criteria the composer used to select the pieces included in either this collection or the succeeding one are unknown, though the pieces are organised loosely from least to most difficult.

[b] Both Clara Schumann and Brahms wrote sets of variations on the theme of the fourth movement ("Ziemlich langsam") from Bunte Blätter: Clara in her opus 20, and Brahms in his opus 9.