Pianist Hélène Grimaud defines Robert Schumann as "the most literary of composers" due to his extensive engagement with literature in his music and writings.
Composition History
Robert Schumann composed his Kreisleriana, a set of eight fantasies inspired by E. T. A. Hoffmann's fictional Kapellmeister Kreisler, in just four days in 1838.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Johannes Brahms resisted titling his Intermezzo op. 117 No. 1 as a simple "Lullaby," suggesting it should be called "lullaby of an inconsolable bachelor" instead.
Composer Biography
Although Robert Schumann initially intended to dedicate Kreisleriana to Clara Wieck, his beloved, he ultimately dedicated it to Frédéric Chopin.
Composition History
Johannes Brahms composed his Intermezzi op. 117 in 1892, his first solo piano music in over a decade, and sent them to Clara Schumann at her request.
Compositional Technique
Robert Schumann's Kreisleriana features extreme emotional distances and rapid mood changes, as indicated by his frequent use of "sehr something or other" in tempo markings.
Composer Biography
Johannes Brahms had a lifelong, devoted attachment to Clara Schumann, outliving her by less than a year, and this devotion may be reflected in the final song of his Lieder and Songs op. 32.
