It may be considered the test of the general level of the composer's education." What is important is that such a verbal heading should be significant and apt. Schumann wrote: "The titles for pieces of music, since they again have come into favor in our day, have been censured here and there, and it has been said that 'good music needs no sign-post.' Certainly not, but neither does a title rob it of its value and the composer, by adding one, at least prevents a complete misunderstanding of the character of his music. Clara, Schumann's beloved wife and muse (herself a pianist who achieved wide fame throughout Europe), found some of the individual scenes upsetting and chose not to play them.
Don't be fooled by the breezy title, these are not woodland depictions without complications.
#Schumann waldszenen program notes professional#
Still, in the short time allotted to his professional career, he was able to distinguish himself both as a composer and musical journalist.īattling against cycles of debilitating depression, Schumann completed his Waldszenen in 1848 and early 1849. After a life of severe mental instability, Schumann committed himself to an asylum in Endenich in 1854 and would be dead within two years at the age of 46. It is tragic to note that a late work of Schumann, such as Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), is the effort of a man not yet 40. Two works by Robert Schumann (1810-1856) one from the early prime of his career and one a late composition.
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