One of the most conspicuous elements in the compositional history of the Fantasie is Schumann's changing nomenclature for the work. The catalogue of names runs as follows:

1. In June 1836 Schumann wrote a one-movement Fantaisie entitled ‘Ruins’ (Ruines).

2. By December he had added two movements and offered the entire work to Kistner as a ‘Sonata for Beethoven’. The individual movements were called ‘Ruins’ (Ruinen), ‘Trophies’ (Trophäen), and ‘Palms’ (Palmen), and the whole work was described as an ‘Obolus for Beethoven's Monument’.

3. In May 1837 he offered it to Breitkopf & Härtel, as ‘Fantasies’ (Phantasieen).

4. In January 1838 he referred in his diary to ‘the old Fantasiestücke’ (die alte Phantasiestücke).

5. Writing to Breitkopf & Härtel on 6 February he mentioned the ‘Fantasies’ (Phantasieen), which he now wished to call Fata Morgana.

6. Writing to Clara on 18 March he referred to ‘a Fantasy (Phantasie) in three movements’.

7. On 16 April he told Clara that he now intended to call the ‘Fantasies’ (Phantasien) by the names ‘Ruins’ (Ruinen), ‘Triumphal Arch’ (Siegesbogen), and ‘Constellation’ (Sternbild), and that the whole work was to be called ‘Poems’ (Dichtungen) in order to distinguish it from the already published Fantasiestücke, Op. 12.

8. On 19 December he informed Breitkopf & Härtel that the title Dichtungen was to be replaced by ‘Fantasy’ (Phantasie). This change is reflected in the Stichvorlage, which contains a note from Schumann requesting that the earlier title for each movement should be replaced by a triangular device of three stars.

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