thumb|upright=1.2|First page of Schumann's draft for "Des Abends"Robert Schumann's Fantasiestücke, Op. 12, is a set of eight pieces for piano, written in 1837. The title was inspired by the 1814–15 collection of novellas, essays, treatises, letters, and writings about music, Fantasy Pieces in Callot's Manner (which also included the complete Kreisleriana, another source of inspiration for Schumann) by one of his favourite authors, E. T. A. Hoffmann. Schumann dedicated the pieces to Fräulein Anna Robena Laidlaw, an accomplished 18-year-old Scottish pianist with whom Schumann had become good friends.
Schumann composed the pieces with the characters Florestan and Eusebius in mind, representing the duality of his personality. Eusebius depicts the dreamer in Schumann while Florestan represents his passionate side. These two characters parlay with one another throughout the collection, ending self-reflectively with Eusebius in "Ende vom Lied".
Details
1. Des Abends
thumb|"Des Abends" (3:23 minutes)The first piece is "Des Abends" ("In the Evening") in D major. It is marked Sehr innig zu spielen (Play very intimately).
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Schumann, after completing the work, then gave the piece its title, which introduces the character of Eusebius, who serves as a symbolic representation of Schumann's dreamy self. He intended the imagery to be a "gentle picture of dusk."
2. Aufschwung
thumb|right|"Aufschwung" (3:29 minutes)
The second piece is "Aufschwung" ("Soaring", literally "Upswing") in F minor. It is marked Sehr rasch (Very rapidly).
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Schumann conceived of "Aufschwung" as a depiction of the character Florestan indulging in his desires, and as the Norton Anthology of Western Music describes "at the height of his passions."
3. Warum?
thumb|right|"Warum?" (1:37 minutes)
The third piece is "Warum?" ("Why?") in D major. It is marked Langsam und zart.
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The title "Why?" was intended by Schumann to signify Eusebius's reflection on the excesses of Florestan in "Aufschwung".
6. "Fabel"
thumb|right|"Fabel" (2:09 minutes)
The sixth piece is "Fabel" ("Fable") in C major. It is marked Langsam (Slowly).
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Like the previous piece, this also juxtaposes both the passionate and dreamy side of Schumann within the same work (as opposed to representing each separately, as in the first subset). The key of C major breaks from the pattern of D major/F minor established by the previous pieces. In this piece, the whimsical nature of Florestan is set against the ethereal tranquility of Eusebius, resulting in a "placid narrative together with rich veins of humor."