Additionally, Kreisler's bitter attitude towards the tomcat Murr when Meister Abraham first makes the offer of giving the cat to him; and how quickly the feelings of despise turned into admiration for the cat in just few seconds further exemplifies Kreisler's constantly fluctuating bipolar personality. Kreisler's emotions were constantly changing vastly that the characters around him in the story (as well as the readers) could never predict when, or where, or how he's mood will change. .
Similarly, Schumann used many of the same techniques and approach of the unexpected contrast in his Kreisleriana. He not only wrote contrasting themes within a movement, but wrote it in a way that the movements in the text of the whole song cycle contrast each other as well. (e.g. the tempo, mood, character of each movement and each theme contrasts from the previous and the following movement or theme). He, like Hoffmann, rarely prepares the listener for the changes as the tempo and mood constantly fluctuates and is very difficult to predict. For example, all of the movements are written in an ABA form " however, the B sections are sometimes so outrageously contrasting from the A section that it often sounds as though there are two separate pieces written in one movement. He even leaves room in between the themes within a movement such as fermatas, long held notes, and cadences - which creates a false illusion for the listeners that the movement is coming to an end though it has merely only reached its halfway point. .
The theme of sudden constant changes in both of the artists' respective works can be further explained and understood by their alter egos. Perhaps it was because of Schumann's ongoing life battle with his mental illness (and possibly having a bipolar personality disorder) that led to the creation of his alter egos. During his lifetime, Schumann invented two alter egos; Florestan and Eusebius whom originally only appeared in his musical criticisms but later on found its way into his music as well "including the Kreisleriana.
