Prompted by the extraordinary success of his Album for the Youth Op. 68 which was published at the end of 1848 and sold like hot cakes, Schumann started to work on a cycle for piano duet in September 1849 which, like the Album, is aimed at young piano players. A friend of the Schumanns said about a home performance of the Bear's Dance contained therein: 'He played the Bear's Dance with exquisite humour, smiling roguishly while imitating with his hands the clumsy movements of the bear,...'. The editions are based on Vol. III/2/1 (RSA 1023) of the Robert Schumann Complete Edition.