Schumann Flashcards
What was he?
He was the first true romantic composer
What did he have?
Turbulent personally combined with later mental instability
Who did he love?
Clara Wieck
What did he pick up on?
Picked up on what Schubert and Beethoven started, with respect to song cycles
What was Schumann’s song cycle called?
Dichterliebe
When was it composed?
Composed in 1840
What does song 1 begin in?
E minor
Tonality?
Ambiguous tonality
Opening arpeggio?
Based around chord IV, with augmented 5th
Then?
Unresolved chord V7 in bar 2
Suspensions?
Bar 12
Vocal phrases?
Are short and may sound unresolved
At the end of the song 1?
Remains unfinished for sense of continuity, resolves in the first chord of the next song
Next good song?
Song 6 - Im Rhine
About?
River Rhine - flowing song
What’s represents what?
Octave pedal notes at the beginning represent organ in a cathedral
Bass?
Doubles vocals lines bars 1-8
Step?
Wise movement
Moderate?
Tessitura
Instrumental use?
Lowest possible range
Tonality?
Obvious D minor tonality
Lower?
Vocal range
Louder?
Dynamics
Woman?
Is parallel to the picture of Virgin Mary
Long?
Post lude
Octaves?
In bass anticipate the next song
Next good song?
Song 7 - Ich Grolle Nicht
First good thing?
Dominant minor 9th
For?
Heart break
Long?
Word long is a minim, so text painting represented for word long
Piano part?
Boldness of piano part conveys confidence of composer and poet
Texture?
Hold piano texture, repeated chords and octaves
Piano?
Lowest possible notes used
Contrasts?
With the highest and loudest vocal tessitura in the whole song cycle during the climax
Irony?
“I blame the not”
How many times?
Repeated 6 times - so he actually does blame her, irony
Anything good in song?
8
What’s cool?
Uses the Neapolitan chord 2 times
Good?
Good piano texture
Next good song?
Song 13
Key?
Eb minor - death key in Schumann’s songs
Same as?
Song 2, same opening but semi tone lower
Absence?
Of piano - q&a between piano and voice
Narrow?
Vocal range
At the end?
Brief moment of optimism, higher notes in the song
Rhythm?
Hemiola, in 6/8 but sounds likes 3/4
Next good song?
Final song, song 16
Chords?
I, IV and V used
So what?
Diatonic harmony for the first page
Final song represents?
Sinking of sorrows into a coffin
Steady?
Steady pace represents funeral march
Text painting?
“Wide” octave leap
How is it shown to be throwing something into the sea?
Intervals/leaps in the vocal line
Long?
Post lude
Sets?
Scene of coffin of sorrows and love floating away
Final cadence?
Brings a close to the cycle