?Robert Schumann was the first to transport the lyrical character piece for piano to the domain of chamber music. He drew upon the form stamped by Schubert, Mendelssohn, himself and many others since about 1820 to create a series of cycles in duo combinations. With his Märchenbilder, Schumann created in 1851 the first important and path-breaking composition for alto and piano that was not written in sonata or variation form.? (from the Preface)
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