Schumann's Fantasiestucke, "Aufschwung"

"Aufschwung" is the perfect piece for beginners studying form. The first sixteen measures contain two parallel periods. The periods are note by note identical with no interpolation. The first phrase of each period is a half cadence ending on a tonicized chord. The second was a perfect authentic cadence. There was no linking material between the two periods. The second section directly followed the first after a mere eighth note rest. The periods were in standard 8 measures with the phrase cadence after the first 4 measures.
The piece has some good structural phenomena. The dynamics are mostly very loud but have occasional accents through sf notes. This is ironic since the piece is already fairly loud dynamically. There are also crescendo through the second period that make the listener think a second section will soon develop through crashing tones. This, however, is not the case. The second section begins piano and completely sets off the new section through this dramatic change. The density varies through thin chords with a melody buried between the voices to a triplet feel. This easily differentiates the phrases within the periods. The tempo fluctuates causing the listener to feel as though they really are being carried by wind in flight. This feature nicely emphasizes the title, "Soaring."