SCM.

F01

Analytical  notes  on  

Robert  Schumann’s  

Romances  Op.  94    

Contents
Robert Schumann ................................................................................2

Romances Op. 94 ................................................................................3

I. Nicht schnell......................................................................................3

II. Einfach, innig....................................................................................4

III. Nicht schnell....................................................................................5

Ross  A.  Hamilton

B.Mus.[Hons],  M.Mus.[Mus.Ed.],  A.Mus.A.,  L.Mus.A.  

Copyright  ©  2012  by  Ross  A.  Hamilton.    All  rights  reserved.  

Photocopying  is  not  permitted.  

www.rosshamilton.com.au  
 

The  analyses  in  this  booklet  represent  one  interpretation  of  the  works,    
but  are  not  necessarily  the  only  possible  interpretation.

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 Robert Schumann
1810-1856

Schumann
Robert Schumann was a German composer from the Romantic period. He was born in
Zwickau in 1810, and studied piano with Friedrich Wieck in Leipzig. Around 1829, he
developed a loss of motor control in one of his fingers (possibly caused or exacerbated by
the use of a mechanical practice aid called a chiroplast). After this, he abandoned his hopes
of becoming a concert performer, and concentrated on composition, while also writing music
criticisms for the New Journal for Music (which he helped to found in 1834).

Schumann married Wieck’s daughter, Clara (one of the leading concert pianists of the day,
and also a composer) in 1840, but only after sustained opposition from her father. He briefly
taught at the Leipzig Conservatory, and also worked as a music director in Dresden and
Düsseldorf, but faced a number of professional and personal obstacles there. Towards the
end of his life, he became mentally unstable; he attempted to drown himself in the Rhine in
1854, and spent his final years in an asylum. He died at Endenich, near Bonn, in 1856, at
the age of 46.

Schumann’s musical style

Schumann’s music is very personal, and often autobiographical. His compositions often
contain descriptive or imaginative titles. Many of them were written for Clara. Schumann
was a great admirer of the German Romantic writer Jean Paul, and a lot of his music
displays the vivid imagination and flights of fancy found in Jean Paul’s florid writing.

References are found in his music to an imaginary band of musical progressive thinkers
called the Davidsbund. In his earlier piano pieces he often wrote using the pseudonyms
Florestan and Eusebius, characters from the Davidsbund, who represented the fiery, temp-
estuous (Florestan) and the intimate, sensitive (Eusebius) aspects of his musical personality.

In his compositions, Schumann continually and deliberately searched for new and personal
means of self-expression, which was the essence of the new Romantic style in Europe.
He became one of the leading composers and musical thinkers of the early 19th Century.

Schumann’s compositions
Schumann’s compositions for woodwind instruments include:
• Fantasy pieces (Fantasiestücke) Op. 73 for clarinet and piano.
• Romances (Romanzen) Op. 94 for oboe and piano.
• Fairy tales (Märchenerzählungen) Op. 132 for clarinet, viola and piano.

His other major works include:

• the opera Genoveva.
• four symphonies (e.g. “Spring” and “Rhenish”).
• concertos (one for piano in A minor, one for cello in A minor, one for violin in D minor).
• chamber music (e.g. Piano Quintet in E flat, Piano Quartet in E flat).
• song cycles (e.g. Myrthen, Liederkreis, Frauenliebe und -leben and Dichterliebe).
• piano music (e.g. Davidsbündlertänze, Kinderscenen, Kreisleriana and Waldscenen).

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Schumann’s contemporaries
• Franz Schubert (Austrian, 1797-1828).
• Hector Berlioz (French, 1803-1869).
• Felix Mendelssohn (German, 1809-1847).
• Fryderyk Chopin (Polish/French, 1810-1849).
• Franz Liszt (Hungarian, 1811-1886).
• Richard Wagner (German, 1813-1883).
• Giuseppe Verdi (Italian, 1813-1901).
• Robert Franz (German, 1815-1892)
• Niels Gade (Danish, 1817-1890).
• Clara Schumann (German, 1819-1896).
• Joseph Joachim (Hungarian, 1831-1907).
• Johannes Brahms (German, 1833-1897).

Romances Op. 94
A romance is a song-like piece, usually intimate and tender in character. Schumann’s three
Romances for oboe (or flute) and piano were composed in 1849.

Style
Music from the Romantic period (c.1810-c.1900) is usually passionate and expressive.
Stylistic characteristics of these pieces include:
• intimacy and deep expressiveness.
• long, lyrical phrases, to be played with a warm, singing tone.
• irregular phrase lengths.
• wide range of dynamics and moods.
• rich harmonies, with some chromaticism and expressive dissonance.
• some wide-ranging modulations, notably to keys a 3rd apart (e.g. A minor to F major).
• expressive tempo changes and rhythmic flexibility (i.e. avoiding rigidity).
• use of tempo rubato at the performer’s discretion.
• simple ABA formal structures.

I. Nicht schnell
This piece is in A minor, in a free formal structure, using four main themes. The structure
resembles a rondo, due to the frequent return of Theme A.

b.1-10 Theme A in the flute, A minor, modulating briefly to C major in b.4-5 then returning to
7 7
A minor, with a V -VI cadence in b.5-6 and a V -i cadence in b.8-9.
The theme has a dreamlike nonchalance, beginning on the upper tonic note and gently
floating down to the lower tonic.
11-17 Theme B in the flute, A minor. This theme is more rhythmically regular, with the melody
in crotchets and the accompaniment in quavers. It is interrupted by the return of Theme
A in the piano in b.13.
There is a brief modulation to C major in b.15-16, as before. A minor returns in b.16-17,
followed by a modulation to E minor.
18-24 Theme B in piano, E minor (the dominant key), interrupted by the return of Theme A in
the flute in b.20.

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 7 7
There is a V -VI cadence in b.22-23 and a V -I cadence with tierce de Picardie in b.23-24
(i.e. ending on an E major chord, which, being chord V of A minor, allows an immediate
return to the original key). The key of A minor is reconfirmed by a V-i cadence in b.24-25.
25-32 A modification of Theme B in the flute, beginning in D minor (the subdominant key),
and moving towards C major from b.30.
33-42 Theme C in the flute, in C major (the relative major key), with a tonic pedal in the bass.
This theme has an expansive feel, mostly in the upper register. The volume is loud and
the texture is denser, with full chords in the piano (imitating the flute in b.35-37).
A “German” augmented 6th chord (C-E-G-As, marked sfp) in b.38 leads immediately
back to E minor. The flute has a modification of Theme A in b.39-42.
43-46 Theme C returns in the flute, in C major, with a tonic pedal in the bass.
A “German” 6th in b.46 again leads back to E minor, with a modification of Theme A in
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the flute from b.47, now ending with a V -i cadence in b.49-50.
50-54 A modification of Theme B in the flute in D minor, similar to b.25-29, but now with triplets
in the accompaniment.
54-58 Theme D, playful and quirky, with dialogue between the piano and flute, beginning in
D minor. The bass line rises by semitones, gradually returning to A minor.
7 7
59-67 Theme A in the flute, A minor, with V -VI cadences in b.62-63 and b.65-66, and a V -i
cadence in b.66-67.
67-87 Coda, all in A minor, usually with a tonic pedal in the bass. There is a final appearance of
Theme A in the flute in b.76-78 and in the piano in b.78-79. Bars 80-83 contain
diminished 7th then dominant7th harmony above a tonic pedal. The last four bars
alternate between chords iv and i.

Nicht schnell means not fast.

… indicates an acciaccatura (crushed note).
fp (fortepiano) means loud, then immediately soft.
sfp (sforzando-piano) means strongly accented then immediately soft.
scherz[ando] means playfully.

II. Einfach, innig

This piece is in A major, in ternary (ABA) form with a coda. The half-bar anacrusis and the
first time bar are not numbered.

A b.1-8 Main theme, simple and lyrical, consisting of four 2-bar phrases, each almost identical
in rhythm. The accompaniment consists of gently flowing quaver broken chords.
The first four bars are in A major, entirely diatonic (i.e. no accidentals), ending with a
V-I cadence in b.3-4.
Bars 5-8 modulate via Cs minor (b.5-6) to E major (the dominant key), ending with a
V-I cadence in b.7-8.
8-16 Second strain of the main theme, now using quavers for the anacrusis instead of on
the strong beat. It begins in B minor, continuing the series of modulations by 5ths
7
(A-E-B), and the new key is confirmed by a V -i cadence in b.9-10.
Bars 10-12 contain a more surprising shift of key, to G major, using dominant 7th and
tonic harmony, with a tonic pedal in the bass in b.10-12.
Bars 12-16 are in E minor, beginning with a transposition of the melody from b.8-10
and coming to rest on the dominant chord in b.16.
16-26 The first strain of the main theme returns in A major, slightly altered.

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 There is a momentary suggestion of E major in b.21-22, but the theme now remains in
7
A major, ending with a V -I cadence in b.25-26.
B 26-34 Episode, Fs minor (the relative minor key). The episode theme consists of a 4-bar
phrase, which is heard twice. It contrasts the main theme in its quicker tempo, minor
tonality, syncopated ties and accents, and triplet accompaniment.
7
It modulates to Cs minor in bars 29-30 and 33-34, and each phrase ends with a V -I
cadence and tierce de Picardie (i.e. ending on a Cs major chord in bars 30 and 34).
35-38 A sequence in B minor (b.35-36) and Fs minor (b.37-38), using similar rhythmic and
melodic motifs to the episode theme.
39-42 The episode theme is restated, similar to b.27-30, but with a more active accompani-
ment that contains some chromatic movement. The theme now remains in Fs minor,
ending with a V-i cadence in b.42.
A 42-68 Main theme, beginning and ending in A major, very similar to b.1-26.
68-79 Coda, all in A major, based on fragments of the main theme. There is a tonic pedal in
7
the bass in bars 68-72 and 76-79, and a V -I cadence in b.75-76.

Einfach, innig means simply and tenderly.

Etwas lebhafter means somewhat livelier.
fp (fortepiano) means loud, then immediately soft.
sfp (sforzando-piano) means strongly accented then immediately soft.
ritard[ando] means gradually becoming slower.
im Tempo or a tempo means return to the former speed.
A double dot after a note increases its length by three quarters, so q.. = q + e + x

III. Nicht schnell

This piece is in A minor, in ternary (ABA) form with a coda.

A b.1-6 Main theme, first motif, A minor. The flute and piano are in unison, an octave apart,
7
for the first four bars, with punctuating chords in the piano (V-i in b.2, II -V in b.4).
Both instruments continue to play in the same rhythm in b.5-6, though now in a
chordal texture, with a dominant pedal in the bass.
7-10 Second motif, C major (the relative major key), contrasting the first motif by its major
tonality, shorter slurs and wider leaps. The two instruments are in dialogue at first,
coming to rest on the dominant chord in b.10.
11-14 The first motif is used as a sequence, in C major (b.11-12) then A minor (b.13-14),
often with a dominant pedal in the bass.
15-20 First motif, A minor, as before.
7
21-24 Second motif, now transposed down a 3rd to A minor, with a V -VI cadence in b.23
7
and a V -i cadence in b.24.
B 25-28 Episode, using a new theme in the piano, beginning in F major, and modulating to
C major in b.28. The melody contains a recurring r | e e e. rhythm, above a gentle
accompaniment of broken chords in triplet rhythm.
29-32 The episode theme is restated by the flute, beginning in F major and modulating to
C major in b.32.
33-36 The episode continues, now slightly more animated in rhythm. The melody is in the
piano, with a countermelody in the flute.

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 It returns via D minor (b.33) to F major (b.34), then modulates to E minor, ending with
7
a V -i cadence in b.36.
37-40 Similar to the previous phrase, but with the melody now in the flute and the counter-
melody in the piano. The final cadence contains a tierce de Picardie (i.e. it ends with
an E major chord, which returns the harmony to the realm of A major/minor).
41-43 Codetta, A major. The flute part is based entirely on the dominant note, and the
piano part frequently returns to the dominant chord.
A 44-67 Main theme, beginning and ending in A minor, very similar to b.1-24.
6
68-76 Coda, beginning in A minor, using the “Neapolitan 6th” chord (fII , D-F-Bf) for added
colour in bars 68 and 70. There is a tierce de Picardie (i.e. an A major chord) at the
end of b.71, and this chord is prolonged and decorated throughout b.72-76.

Nicht schnell means not fast.

The grace notes (e.g. b.1) may be played as acciaccature (crushed notes) or appoggiature.
ritard[ando] means gradually becoming slower.
im Tempo or a tempo means return to the former speed.
fp (fortepiano) means loud, then immediately soft.
zurückhaltend or rit[enuto] means hold back the speed (i.e. immediately slower).
dolce means sweetly.

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