Erich Wolfgang Korngold was described at the age of ten as a genius. Gustav Mahler was so taken with Korngold's talent he recommended he go and study with Alexander von Zemlinsky. Three years later, a 13 year old Korngold composed a 45 minute ballet pantomime called The Snowman and it became a sensation at its first performance. One of the most memorable numbers is the Serenade from Part 1 in which a violin-playing Pierrot attempts to gain the attention of his girlfriend, Columbine.
This new arrangement extends the simple piano score Korngold made with some material from the orchestral version created by Zemlinsky. The violin part however is the same as found in Korngold's original score.