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Total duration: 23' 30" (second version) or 29' 30" (third version)
The sonata exists in three main versions, the second and third of which are complete and were published in Schumann’s lifetime.
The first version, from 1836, comprises five movements, of which the last is incomplete.
The second version, also from 1836 and prepared for publication as the Konzert ohne Orchester, omits the two scherzi and has a new finale. Further, the number of variations in the penultimate movement is reduced from six to four. The differences elsewhere are minor.
The third version arises from a revision made by Schumann from around 1850 and finished and published in 1853 as the sonata no. 3. This re-instates the second scherzo from the first 1836 version. Comparing the other movements to the second 1836 version, the first movement is similar but has some noticeable changes, the variations are virtually unchanged, and the final movement has a re-written time signature yet is otherwise very similar.
| sonata no. 3 (1836) | Konzert ohne Orchester (1836) | sonata no. 3 (1853) |
|---|---|---|
| 1a. Allegro brillante | 1b. Allegro | |
| 2. Scherzo: Vivacissimo | – | |
| 3. Scherzo: Molto commodo | – | 3. Scherzo: Molto commodo |
| 4. Quasi variazioni: Andantino de Clara Wieck [six variations] | 4. Quasi variazioni: Andantino de Clara Wieck [four variations] | |
| 5a. Prestissimo [incomplete] | 5b. Prestissimo possibile | 5c. Prestissimo possibile |
Duration: 8'
Difficulty: 4.5
Duration: 8'
Difficulty: 4.5
Duration: 2' 30"
Difficulty: 3.5
Duration: 6'
Difficulty: 4
The theme, by Clara Wieck, who would later become Clara Schumann, is followed by four variations. In the original version of the sonata, the theme was instead followed by six variations.
Duration: 8' 30"
Difficulty: 3.5
This version is incomplete. It shares material with the Romanze in F minor (Anh. F2).
Duration: 7'
Difficulty: 5
Duration: 7'
Difficulty: 5
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