Carnaval Facts for Kids

Schumann in 1839

Carnaval, Op. 9, is a work for piano solo by Robert Schumann. It was written in 1834-1835. Subtitled Scènes mignonnes sur quatre notes (Little Scenes on Four Notes). the work is a collection of short pieces representing masked revelers at a festival. Schumann, his friends and colleagues, and characters from improvised Italian comedy (commedia dell’arte) are all depicted musically in the work. Carnaval is centered on four notes which had special meaning for Schumann: A, E-flat, C, B - signified in German as A-S-C-H. Each piece has a title, and the work as a whole is a musical representation of an elaborate masked ball during carnival season. Both Schumann and his wife, Clara, thought his solo piano works too difficult for the general public. They were rarely performed in Schumann's lifetime. Franz Liszt however performed selections from Carnaval in Leipzig in 1840. Today, the work is one of Schumann's most often performed works. The work was orchestrated in the early 20th century for a ballet produced for the Ballets Russes which starred Nijinsky.

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Carnival in Rome circa 1650
Rio's carnival is the largest in the world according to Guinness World Records.
The traditional carnival of Acireale, Sicily
Carnival on Ice at the Kipdorppoort Moats in Antwerp, c. 1620
Carnival in Venice, by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, 1750
A typical mask worn at the Venice Carnival, which portrays the satirical and exaggerated appearances often used.
Riderless Racers at Rome by Théodore Géricault. From the mid-15th century until 1882, spring carnival in Rome closed with a horse race. Fifteen to 20 riderless horses, originally imported from the Barbary Coast of North Africa, ran the length of the Via del Corso, a long, straight city street, in about 21⁄2 minutes.
Carnival in Argentina by school children
Recife Carnival, in the capital city of the State of Pernambuco, Recife
Carnival circuit of the city of Salvador
Carnival in Rincon (Bonaire) (2018)
The Blacks and Whites' Carnival in Pasto
Traditional cojuelo mask of the Dominican carnival in La Vega, Dominican Republic.
Carnival parade in Latacunga city.
Party in Latacunga city.
Four touloulous
Two Queens, representing Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo, standing on a float
A culeco
Morenada dance, in the Carnival of Juliaca – Peru
Masqueraders chipping on Carnival Tuesday in Port of Spain during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival
The Carnival King costume for a particular band
Revelers on Frenchmen Street, New Orleans, 2006
Afro-Uruguayans gathering for a Candombe celebration, ca. 1870
Panaji locals participating at the Goan Carnival, late 20th century
Foreign tourist revellers at the modern Goan Carnival, 2005
Long-Né and Longuès-Brèsses (Malmedy)
Giant Joker of Maaseik in 2013
Venetian Mask 2016
Carnival in Donetsk, Ukraine, 2010
Main square in Rijeka during Carnival
"Pirates" during Carnival in Čakovec
"Coprnice" (Witches) from Međimurje County, Northern Croatia
Masopust masks in Czech Republic, 2013
The 2016 Helsinki Samba Carnaval in Helsinki, Finland
Carnival in Paris, 2015.
Carnival in Mainz, Germany.
Reitenderle, der Grundholde, Hudelmale, Schnarragagges; popular Fasnet characters from Kisslegg im Allgäu, Swabia
From the Monstercorso on Güdisdienstag's evening in Lucerne (2009)
The float of the King Carnival parading in Patras, Greece
Ladies on their way to the historic Bourboulia ball in Patras, Greece wearing the dómino costumes unique to that ball.
The Busójárás in Hungary
This Venetian tradition is most famous for its distinctive masks.
The Battle of the Oranges at the carnival of Ivrea
Carnival procession in Valletta on Malta
Carnival in Valletta, Malta
The Fight Between Carnival and Lent, Pieter Bruegel, 1559
Sesimbra Carnival, Portugal
A dancer in the Carnival of Madeira, on the island's capital Funchal
Ovar Carnival, Portugal
Boris Kustodiev's painting of Maslenitsa
Kurentovanje in Ptuj, 2019
The Burial of the Sardine, Francisco Goya, c. 1812
A choir singing in the Carnival of Cádiz
Vidalot is the last night of revelry before Ash Wednesday in Vilanova. Water color painting by Brad Erickson.
The Ball de Malcasats (Dance of the Mismatched Couples) is a satiric talking-dance traditional to Carnaval in Vilanova.
"Ploranyeres" weep for the death of His Majesty and the loss of pleasure.
Donkeys of Solsona, hung in the tower bell.

Carnaval facts for kids

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