Between 1844 and 1853, Schumann wrote 123 pages of drafts for Scenes from Goethe’s Faust. He usually set down the vocal parts and the harmonic structure, but his sketches also contain drafts of short scores and piano arrangements of completed passages. In most cases Schumann jotted down his first ideas in pencil and then corrected and finalized them in ink. The lyrics were often added later on. Some of the scenes exist in several versions. The sketches served as a first draft of his scores, which he immediately wrote out himself.