DanikaLocey

OregonStateUniversity|MusicHistoryWinter2016

FrauenliebeundLeben:RobertSchumann’sSelf-FulfillingProphecy

2

Abstract

ThebasisofthisresearchpaperistheworkofRobertSchumann,particularlyhis

liedercycleFrauenliebeundLeben,andhowitpredictedtheconditionsandeventsof

RobertandClaraSchumann’smarriage.

IwilldiscussSchumann’scompositionofFrauenliebeundLebeninthecontextofhis

relationshipwithClara.IwillalsoanalyzeChamisso’spoetryandSchumann’sdecisionto

useitinthiscycle.TheprocessofRobertandClaramarryingwasparticularlydifficult

becauseofClara’sfather,andIwillstudytheircorrespondencearoundthetimeof

FrauenliebeundLeben’scompositiontofurthermyunderstandingofthesituationasa

whole.

Intermsoftheirworkpost-marriageIwilldiscussClara’stransformationfroma

musiciantoawifeandmother;whileshestillcomposedandperformed,shewasforcedto

bemainlyawife,amother,andanadmirerofRobert’swork..Someemphasiswillbegiven

togenderrolesinnineteenth-centuryGermanmarriages,whichwasillustratedboth

throughthetextsusedinFrauenliebeundLebenandinClara’sroleintheSchumann

household.

IaminterestedinthistopicbecauseIamlearningtheFrauenliebeundLebencycleformy

upcomingvoicerecitalandIwanttolearnmoreaboutit.Ialsoamfascinatedwiththeidea

oftwoactivecomposersmarryingandhavingafamilytogether.Mygoalwiththisresearch

paperistogainadeepunderstandingofthesongcycleasawholeandgraspitsplacein

RobertandClaraSchumann’slivesandcompositions.

3

FrauenliebeundLeben:RobertSchumann’sself-fulfillingprophecy

1840wasaneventfulyearinthelifeofLeipzig-basedcomposerRobertSchumann.

Dubbed“theYearofSong,”avastmajorityofhiscompositionsofthisyearwereLieder,

oftenonthetopicofloveandmarriage.Coincidentally,1840wasalsotheyearinwhich

RobertmarriedClaraWieckafteropposingherfatherincourtinordertoreceiveherhand

inmarriage.Becausethesetwoimportantideasoverlapped,manyofSchumann’sLieder

relatedirectlytohismarriage.Hischoiceofpoetryidealizedthatgeneration’sviewof

women:theyweretreatedaschild-bearers,child-raisers,housekeepers,andservantsof

theirhusbands.RobertSchumannexemplifiesthissocietalstanceinFrauenliebeund

Leben,or“AWoman’sLifeandLove.”

SchumanncomposedthiscycleinJulyof1840,justtwomonthsbeforehisand

Clara’swedding,andsoonaftertheirweddingClarafoundherselfabandoningherlifeasa

composerinfavorofbecomingadevotedwife.Thiscycle,whichchroniclesawoman’slife

asalover,wife,andmother,heldgreatpersonalsignificanceforRobert,whowasnearing

theendofalegalbattleagainstFriedrichWieckforClara’shandinmarriage1.Withallof

theculturalparallelspresent.Robert’sdecisiontosetthisparticularsetofpoemstosong,

especiallysoclosetohismarriage,showsthathesharedthesameideasofwomen

promotedbynineteenth-centuryGermanculture.Therefore,FrauenliebeundLeben

ultimatelyservedasaself-fulfillingprophecy,accuratelypredictingthedynamicsofthe

Schumanns’marriageandClara’ssuccessasamusician.

1JoanChissell,ClaraSchumann,aDedicatedSpirit:AStudyofHerLifeandWork(London:H.Hamilton,1983),72.

4

ThetextofFrauenliebeundLebencomesfromasetofpoemsbyAldebertvon

Chamisso,aBerlin-basednineteenth-centurypoetandwriterknownforhiswritingsabout

theGermanmiddleclass2.Chamisso’sgoalwithFrauenliebe,aswithmuchofhisother

work,wastorepresentmiddle-classGermanwomenofthemid-nineteenthcentury.Itwas

thefirstofthefivepoemcyclesChamissopublishedinundertwoyearsthatrelateddirectly

tothedynamicsofmarriageandfamilylife.3Hisviewsofwomenasthetimeweresimilar

tothecommonbeliefthatwomenwerethepropertyandsubordinatesoftheirhusbands.In

hisLebeensliederundBilder,Chamissochoosestohavethehusbandinthestoryrefertohis

wifeas“meinsüssesEigentum,”translatedto“mysweetpropertyorpossession,4”which

furtheredtheideathatwomenweretobesubmissivetotheirspouses.RufusHallmark

statesthatthispoeticcycle“embodiestheage’sstereotypedconceptionofwomanhoodas

subservientwifeandmother,5”andheisnottheonlyscholartoholdthissentiment.JackM.

SteinofHarvardreferstoChamisso’spoemsas“mediocre,”thoughhedescribes

Schumann’ssettingofitashis“greatestachievementinsong.6”ElissaS.Guralnickstates,

quitesimply,“Gloriousmusic,ridiculouswords.7”Thoughthiscyclewasnotparticularly

well-received,itwassetsixtytimesinthenineteenthcenturyalone,8threeofthosetimes

occurringwithinayearofthecycle’screation.9

2RufusE.Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben:Chamisso'sPoemsandSchumann'sSongs(Cambridge,UK:CambridgeUniversityPress,2014),7.3RufusE.Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben:Chamisso'sPoemsandSchumann'sSongs(Cambridge,UK:CambridgeUniversityPress,2014),111.4Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,12.5RufusE.Hallmark,GermanLiederintheNineteenthCentury(NewYork:SchirmerBooks,1996),79.6JackM.Stein,PoemandMusicintheGermanLiedfromGlucktoHugoWolf(Cambridge,Mass:HarvardUniversityPress,1971),119.7ElissaS.Guralnick,“'AhClara,IAmNotWorthyofYourLove':Rereading'FrauenliebeUndLeben',thePoetryandtheMusic”(Music&Letters87(4).OxfordUniversityPress:580–605,2006),580.8Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,239-40.9Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,111.

5

Schumann’ssettingofFrauenliebeundLebenutilizeseightoftheninepoems

Chamissooriginallywroteforthecycle,eachcorrespondingtopivotalmomentsinayoung

woman’slife.Thefirstsong,titledSeitichihngesehen(or“WhenIfirstsawhim”),isa

simpleandquaintbeginningtothecycle,tellingofthewoman’sfirstcontactwiththeman

sheloves.Schumannutilizessimple,approachablerhythmsinboththevocallineandthe

pianoaccompaniment,bothofwhichhighlighthisideaofademureandlowlyyoung

woman.10Thesimpleand

delicatepianoaccompaniment

depictsthebarewonder

involvedinfirstloves,asseen

inFigure111.Thefirstlineoftext,translatedtoEnglish,states,“SinceIfirstsaw

him,Ibelievemyselfblind,12”whichconveyshersenseofaweatcomingacrossamanso

majestic.Thesecondstanzastates,“Otherwiseeverythingaroundmeiswithoutlightand

color,Playinggameswithmysistersisnolongermydesire…,13”implyingthatthoughshe

hardlyknewthisman,whohadsoquicklygainedherlove,shewasreadytoabandonthe

lifesheknewalready.Schumann’splacementofaritardover“begehr’ichmehr”(...isno

longermydesire)suggestsaresignationtowardalifewithouthernewfoundlove.

TheendofSeitichihngesehenisabruptlymetwiththeblockyandmajestic

introductiontoEr,derHerrlichstevonAllen.Translatedto“He,themostmarvelousofall,”

thissongisacontinuationoftheinfatuationfoundintheprevioussong,portrayingthe

objectofthewoman’saffectionasmarvelousandworthyofthebestinlife.Describedasa

10GeraldMoore,Poet'sLove:TheSongsandCyclesofSchumann(NewYork:TaplingerPub.,1981),25.11RobertSchumann.FrauenliebeundLeben,Op.42.Leipzig:VerlagvonBeritkopf&Härtel,1885.12Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,242.13Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLebe,242.

Figure1

6

“protestationoflove,14”thissongservesasabolderandunrestraineddeclarationofthe

woman’saffectiontowardthemanshehardlyknows.Overthecourseofthesong,

ChamissofrequentlyreferencesHeavenandprayers,implyinganalmostworshipful

admirationoftheman.

ElissaS.Guralnick

describesthewoman’s

voiceinthispoemas

having“amplestrengthof

character,”15whichis

particularlyevidentin

Schumann’susageofrhythmicallydrivenmelodyandaccompaniment,aswellasthe

tendencytodwellonarpeggiationofthetonicE-flatchordinthevoice.Hisuseofconstant

chordsintheaccompaniment,picturedinFigure2,depicttheideaofstrengthand

masculinity,servingasasteadycounterparttothewhimsicalandoverlyromantictext16.

Ichkann’snichtfassen,nichtglaubentakesonamuchmorefrenziedtone,asthe

womanhasnowlearned

thatthemanlovesheras

well.Chamissobringsback

theideaofthe“dream”from

thefirstsong,asthewomaninsistsshemustbedreamingofthemanlovingherinreturn.

Theaccompanimenttothissongisheavilypunctuated,emphasizingimportantnotesand

14GeraldMoore,Poet'sLove:TheSongsandCyclesofSchumann(NewYork:TaplingerPub.,1981),25.15ElissaS.Guralnick,“'AhClara,IAmNotWorthyofYourLove':Rereading'FrauenliebeUndLeben',thePoetryandtheMusic”(Music&Letters87(4).OxfordUniversityPress:580–605,2006),580.16Schumann,FrauenliebeundLeben.

Figure2

Figure3

7

words(seeFigure317).Schumannutilizedvocalornamentsandritardandostohighlight

importantwordsandphrases,suchasberückt(meaning“beguiled”)andEskannjanimmer

sosein(meaning“Itcannoteverbeso”).18HeendsthesongwithaPicardyThird,whichin

thiscaseisasimpleCMajorchord,reflectingthewoman’ssimpleinnocence.

DuRinganmeinemFingerisacelebrationofthewoman’snewfoundengagementto

themanshelovessodearly.

Regardedbysomecriticsas

“strictlysentimental,19”this

isthemostwidely-

recognizedsongfromthe

cycle.Thissongismuch

moreharmonically

straightforwardthanthe

others,asitstayswithin

standardchordstructuresandprogressions,utilizingsubtleandeasily-flowing

chromaticismforvariety,asseeninFigure420.Schumannchosetomirrorthemelodyin

theaccompanimentinordertoaddextraemphasistothesweetandrelativelysimple

melody,asseeninFigure321.RufusHallmarkdescribesthefourthstanzaofthispoemas

“themostsexist”andalso“themostsexual”passagesintheentirecycle22.Itreads:

17Schumann,FrauenliebeundLeben.18Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,243.19GeraldMoore,Poet'sLove:TheSongsandCyclesofSchumann(NewYork:TaplingerPub.,1981),29.20Schumann,FrauenliebeundLeben.21Schumann,FrauenliebeundLeben.22Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,200.

Figure4

8

“Ishallservehim,liveforhim,

Belongmyselfwhollytohim,

Givemyselfovertohimandfind

Myselftransfiguredbyhislight.23”

Thesociallyproblematicportionisthefirsttwolines,inwhichthewomanexpressesher

desiretoserveandbelongtotheman.Theideaofservingandbelongingtoamanis

directlyconcurrentwiththeculturalideasofthetime,ithaslostculturalrelevancewith

theprogressofwomen’srightsandgenderequalityinWesternculture.Thepotentially

eroticportionisthesecondhalfofthestanza,whichimpliesthewoman’slongingtobe

physicallyintimatewithherlover.Inatimewhereawoman’ssexualdesireswere

consideredalowerprioritythanthoseofherhusband,Chamisso’schoicetoincludethis

innuendowasquitebold.SchumannreflectedChamisso’sboldnessbymakingthisstanza

musicallydifferentfromtheothers:incontrasttothepleasantandpredictablemovement

inthebeginning,withsimpleE-flatharmonicprogressionandlightaccompaniment,this

sectionpicksupintempo,incorporatinglargeleapsinthevocallineandthesameconstant

chordsfoundintheaccompanimentofEr,derHerrlichstevonAllen.

Helftmir,ihrSchwestern,characterizedbyitsnervousenergyandloyaltytothetonic

chord,chroniclesthewoman’s“excitementandtimidanticipation24”whilegettingready

forherweddingandenlistinghersistersforhelp.Thissonginparticularisheavyin

symbolism:GeraldMoorehypothesizedthat“archingarpeggiosseemtosignifythegraceful

curvesofthebride’strain,25whileElissaS.Guralnickdecidedthatthe“throbbinginthe

23Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,244.24JackM.Stein,PoemandMusicintheGermanLiedfromGlucktoHugoWolf(Cambridge,Mass:HarvardUniversityPress,1971),120.25GeraldMoore,Poet'sLove:TheSongsandCyclesofSchumann(NewYork:TaplingerPub.,1981),31.

9

treble…bespeaks[theman’s]persistentapprehension.26”RufusHallmarkcitesSchumann’s

settingofthispoemashaving“overallpsychologicalaptnessasanexpressionofthebride’s

nervoustension,27”whichis

evidentinthefrenziedand

frantictextandtempo28.This

songendswitharegaland

confidentmarch,meantto

resembletheweddingmarch

playingasthewomanwalkeddowntheaisle.

Thenextsong,SüßerFreund,chroniclesthewomantellingherhusbandthatsheis

expectinghischild.

Chamisso’sword

choiceinthissong

particularlyimpliesa

sortofemancipationonbehalfofthewoman;sincesheistomotherachild,thewoman

nowfeelslikesheisherownperson.29Schumannoffersahumbleandyetagainsparse

accompanimentpairedwithaheavilydottedvocallinecharacterizedbyadiminished

fourthinterval,seeninFigure630.InSchumann’ssettinghechosetoleaveoutthethird

stanzaofChamisso’soriginalpoem,whichtoldofthewomanlearningaboutmotherhood

26ElissaS.Guralnick,“'AhClara,IAmNotWorthyofYourLove':Rereading'FrauenliebeUndLeben',thePoetryandtheMusic”(Music&Letters87(4).OxfordUniversityPress:580–605,2006),598.27Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,211.28Schumann,FrauenliebeundLeben.29ElissaS.Guralnick,“'AhClara,IAmNotWorthyofYourLove':Rereading'FrauenliebeUndLeben',thePoetryandtheMusic”(Music&Letters87(4).OxfordUniversityPress:580–605,2006),583.30Schumann,FrauenliebeundLeben.

Figure5

Figure6

10

fromherownmother.31Therearemanypossibleexplanationsforthisomission,onebeing

thatSchumannsimplydidnotwantthemelodytobecomeoverlyrepetitive.Anotherideais

thatheleftoutthisparticularstanzabecauseitdidnotinvolvethemandirectly.

ThedelicateendingtoSüßerFreundisquicklyreplacedwiththesweeping

arpeggiationandjollymelodyofAnmeinemHerzen,inwhichthewomanandherhusband

rejoiceinthebirthoftheirchild.Describedas“theonejubilantsonginthecycle,32”this

songportraysthemother’spurejoyinbecomingamother.TowardtheendChamisso

wrote“Oh,howIpitythemanwhocannotfeelamother’sbliss!33”whichshowsthatthe

womannowfeelsevenmoreindependentandconfidentonherown.

Unfortunatelyfortheprotagonist,thejubilanceoftheprevioussongisfleeting.In

NunhastdumirdenerstenSchmerzgetan,thefinalsonginSchumann’scycle,tellsofthe

firstsadnessthewoman’s

husbandhascausedher:he

hasfalleninto“thesleepof

death.34”However,

Guralnicksuggeststhatthehusbandisnotinfactdead,astheaccompanimentsuggeststhe

husbandisstillpresent.35Thissolemnyetangrysongendswithaduplicationofthefirst

song’saccompaniment(seeFigure736),whichstandsforthewoman’sreminiscingofthe

firsttimeshesawhernowgonehusband.

31Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,215.32ElissaS.Guralnick,“'AhClara,IAmNotWorthyofYourLove':Rereading'FrauenliebeUndLeben',thePoetryandtheMusic”(Music&Letters87(4).OxfordUniversityPress:580–605,2006),600.33Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,247.34Hallmark,FrauenliebeUndLeben,247.35ElissaS.Guralnick,“'AhClara,IAmNotWorthyofYourLove':Rereading'FrauenliebeUndLeben',thePoetryandtheMusic”(Music&Letters87(4).OxfordUniversityPress:580–605,2006),601.36Schumann,FrauenliebeundLeben.

Figure7

11

IntermsofthemarriageofRobertandClaraSchumann,thiscycleforeshadowed

manyofthecircumstancesintheirmarriage.Forinstance,Claradid“giveherselffullyto

him,”asstatedinSong4,bysettinghercompositionalandartisticcareerasideinfavorof

Robert’s.ThefrenziedideaspresentinIchkann’snichtfassen,nichtglaubenandHelftmir,

ihrSchwesternrepresentthestressfulprocessofRobertandClara’smarriage,whichwas

bynomeanseasy.

Mostimportantly,thelastsonganditsendingareadirectparalleltoClara’slifeafter

Robert’sinsanityanddeath:justliketheendingtothecycleisareplicationofthebeginning

ofthework,Clara’slifeafterRobertwascharacterizedbyimmensesuccessasamusician,

successthatshewasunabletoattainwhileplacinghercareersecondtoRobert’s.Infact,

shortlyafterRobert’sfuneral,Clarastartedplacingherchildrenatalowerprioritythanher

music.Withinthreemonthsofhisdeath,Clarahadplacedtwoofherchildreninboarding

schoolandleftthetwoyoungestwithahousekeeperwhilesheembarkedonaconcert

tour37.Whilehersuccessasamusiciancontinuedtogrowandshebeganonceagainto

developherownidentityasamusician,she

FrauenliebeundLebennotonlypredictedmanyconditionsoftheSchumanns’marriage,it

alsoperpetuatedtheculturalnormsthatpreventedwomeninnineteenth-centuryGermany

frompursuingtheirskillsandpassions.

37NancyB.Reich,ClaraSchumann,theArtistandtheWoman(Ithaca,NY:CornellUniversityPress),136.

12

BibliographyBurton,Anna.1988.“RobertSchumannandClaraWieck:ACreativePartnership”.Music&

Letters69(2).OxfordUniversityPress:211–28.Chissell,Joan.ClaraSchumann,aDedicatedSpirit:AStudyofHerLifeandWork.London:H.

Hamilton,1983.Fehn,AnnClark.,RufusE.Hallmark,HarryE.Seelig,andJurgenThym.OfPoetryandSong:

ApproachestotheNineteenth-centuryLied.Rochester,NY:UniversityofRochesterPress,2010.

Guralnick,ElissaS..2006.“'ahClara,IAmNotWorthyofYourLove':Rereading'frauenliebe

UndLeben',thePoetryandtheMusic”.Music&Letters87(4).OxfordUniversityPress:580–605.

Hallmark,RufusE.FrauenliebeUndLeben:Chamisso'sPoemsandSchumann'sSongs.

Cambridge,UK:CambridgeUniversityPress,2014.Hallmark,RufusE.GermanLiederintheNineteenthCentury.NewYork:SchirmerBooks,

1996.Hallmark,Rufus.1990.Music&Letters71(1).OxfordUniversityPress:150–52.Moore,Gerald.Poet'sLove:TheSongsandCyclesofSchumann.NewYork:TaplingerPub.,

1981.Nauhaus,Gerd,ed.TheMarriageDiariesofRobertandClaraSchumann:FromTheir

WeddingDaythroughtheRussiaTrips.TranslatedbyPeterOstwald.Boston:NortheasternUniversityPress.,1993.

Reich,NancyB.ClaraSchumann,theArtistandtheWoman.Ithaca,NY:CornellUniversity

Press,1985.Schumann,Eugene,andG.D.H.Pidcock.1934.“TheDiaryofRobertandClara

Schumann”.Music&Letters15(4).OxfordUniversityPress:287–300.Schumann,Robert.FrauenliebeundLeben,Op.42.Leipzig:VerlagvonBeritkopf&Härtel,

1885.Stein,JackM.PoemandMusicintheGermanLiedfromGlucktoHugoWolf.Cambridge,

Mass:HarvardUniversityPress,1971.Taylor,Ronald.RobertSchumann,HisLifeandWork.NewYork:UniverseBooks,1982.Todd,R.Larry.SchumannandHisWorld.Princeton,NJ:PrincetonUniversityPress,1994.