Knecht RuprechtOp. 68 No. 12

The twelfth of the 43 pieces in Schumann's Album for the Young, Op. 68, written in 1848 for his children. Stormy and driving, this piece sends both hands rumbling deep in the bass in octaves and heavily accented fast runs. In German Christmas folklore, the title figure is the stern companion of Saint Nicholas who asks children if they can pray, giving apples, nuts and gingerbread or punishing the disobedient.