How programmatic can you get in twelve minutes? Well, if you're Schumann, writing a piece, you can tell the story of two adolescents crashing a swanky ball and making eyes at some girl across the room. And, what's more, you can even recount the whole story with your grandfather at the very end! Papillons, in several characterized movements, tells Jean Paul's Flageljahre. A youthful Schumann composes this work, and it is evident. Spirited and well-written, it is nevertheless far less intricate than his later works.
Carnaval is similar in construction, but has the intricacy that Papillons lacks. A set of character pieces as well, this one details both imaginary characters and real people (a girlfriend of his, his beloved, though perhaps not beloved yet Clara, and Chopin), and introduces us to Eusebius and Florestan, who are to appear in his pieces and his literary works. Amazing though, that the whole work is built upon a four-note theme, revealed in the mysterious 'sphinxes' which he scores in the middle of the piece. While they are often not performed, some performers do improvise freely on them (Rachmaninoff is a notable example). Schumann leaves no performance notes for the Sphinxes however, so it is not known whether that is his intent or not.
Kreisleriana is similarly programmatic. Written after E.T.A. Hoffman's 'autobiographical' work/cat commentary duo, it is an attempt to capture the spirit of the novel. However... I have one small problem with the work... I don't hear a cat, nor the divide between cat and man that the work describes. I'm glad it inspired him and all, but I really miss the characterization that is so evident in the other two pieces we have studied.
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