Robert Schumann composed a vast amount of music in 1840, which he called his 'Year of Song,' including the Dichterliebe, Op. 48, and Liederkreis, Op. 24.
Composer Biography
Schumann's prolific 'Year of Song' in 1840 followed a period of deep distress in late 1839, during which he was tormented by thoughts of death and decay, with his nerves at breaking point.
Compositional Technique
In his settings of Heinrich Heine's poems, Robert Schumann gave the piano significant freedom, sometimes reducing the voice to a mere obbligato role, and used postludes to add new intensity to songs.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schumann composed many of his songs standing or walking, not at the piano, considering it a 'different sort of music' that was more direct and melodious.
Compositional Technique
Schumann's Heine songs contribute to the development of the Lied by avoiding the rigorous meter of the poems, instead giving words a natural rhythm independent of the poem's metrical pattern.
Composer Biography
Beyond his genius as a composer, Robert Schumann was also a foremost exponent of musical criticism, earning a doctorate for his writings on music and editing the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik.
Composer Biography
Schumann's future father-in-law, Father Wieck, launched an abusive campaign against him, even involving the courts, claiming Schumann was a habitual drunkard.
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Robert Schumann & Jan Rot: Dichtersliefde
Schumann (Live at Théâtre de l'Athénée, 2014)
Schumann: Dichterliebe; Liederkreis
R. Schumann: Dichterliebe
Schumann: Lieder
Robert Schumann: Frauenliebe und -leben, Op. 42 - Liederkreis, Op. 24 - Gedichte der Königin Maria Stuart, Op. 135 - Songs from Myrthen, Op. 25
Schumann, R.: Dichterliebe, Op. 48 / Liederkreis, Op. 39
