In this study, the life and work of Robert Schumann was examined, with the purpose of from a source critical point of view discovering new perspectives on the composer's mental health and creative tools used in his compositions and writings. Furthermore, the study aimed to debunk common misconceptions about Robert Schumann's fate.

The purpose if this study is to make an analysis of the structural elements and stylistic characteristics in the Concerto in A Minor for Piano by the nineteenth century German composer, Robert Schumann. These elements include the composer's treatment of melody, rhythm, form, and piano idiom. This problem has been limited to a stylistic analysis of Schumann's only concerto in A minor for piano and orchestra, Op. 54. Its purpose is to make an analysis of the structural and stylistic elements in the Concerto. These include the composer's treatment of melody, rhythm, form and the piano idiom. Since the matter of harmony is not of primary importance in this work, it is not discussed here. The present study does not include a consideration of the orchestral score and its relationship to the piano; however mention of it is made in the chapter on piano idiom.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) var en tysk romantisk tonsättare som främst har skrivit många verk för piano och sång. Han var en känslosam person med en rik inre värld, som trots många motgångar i livet alltid fann hopp i kärleken eller i fantasivärlden. Syftet med detta arbete var att utforska grunden till Schumanns musikskapande och vad som har lett honom till att komponera på det sättet han gjorde. Genom att nå en djupare förståelse för bakgrunden till hans kreativa skapandet har jag som pianist kunnat arbeta med och tolka verket Fantasiestücke Op. 12 på ett sätt som tar hänsyn till Schumanns livsöde. Studien genomfördes metodiskt med hjälp av olika litteraturstudier samt internetkällor. För instuderingen av verket Fantasiestücke Op. 12 användes noter av G. Henle-förlaget. Studiens resultat visade, vilken stor roll litteraturen, kärleken till Clara Wieck och Schumanns psykiska ohälsa spelade för skapandet av hans pianoverk Fantasiestücke Op. 12. Verket skrevs under sommaren 1837, en tidsperiod, där han var mycket fascinerade av romantikens stora författare E.T.A. Hoffmann. Samtidigt var det en tid där han började drabbas av olika sjukdomar som ledde till en signifikant handskada och förstärkt psykisk ohälsa. Det var också fasen då han kämpade för att förverkliga sin kärlek med Clara Wieck.

The seven compositions that comprise this dissertation are represented by the following files: text file (pdf), seven video performances (mp4), and corresponding zipped files of custom software and affiliated files (various file types). / This Digital Portfolio Dissertation centers on a collection of seven digital videos of performances of original electroacoustic compositions that feature data-driven instruments. The dissertation also includes a copy of the original software and affiliated files used in performing the portfolio of music, and a text document that analyzes and describes the following for each of the seven compositions: (1) the design and implementation of each of the seven complete data-driven instruments; (2) the musical challenges and opportunities provided by data-driven instruments; (3) the performance techniques employed; (4) the compositional structure; (5) the sound synthesis techniques used, and (6) the data-mapping strategies used. The seven compositions demonstrate a variety of electroacoustic and performance techniques and employ a range of interface devices as front-ends to the data-driven instruments. The seven interfaces that I chose to use for my compositions include the Wacom Tablet, the Leap Motion device for hand and finger detection, the Blue Air infrared sensor device for distance measurements, the Nintendo Wii Remote wireless game controller, the Gametrak three-dimensional, position tracking system, the eMotion™ Wireless Sensor System, and a custom sensor-based interface that I designed and fabricated. The title of this dissertation derives from the extra-musical impulses that drove the creative impulses of the seven original electroacoustic compositions for data-driven instruments. Of the seven compositions, six of the pieces have connections to literature. Despite the fact there is a literary sheen to these musical works, the primary impulses of these compositions arise from the notion of absolute music – music for music’s sake, music that is focused on sound and the emotional and intellectual stimulus such sound can produce when humans experience it. Thus, I simultaneously work both sides of the musical street with my compositions containing both extra-musical and absolute musical substance.

Thematischer Katalog der musikalischen Blätter aus dem Schumann-Album in der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden (SLUB)

Robert Schumann's D-minor Symphony endured harsh criticism during the second half of the nineteenth century because of misunderstandings regarding his compositional approach to the genre of the symphony; changes in performance practices amplified the problems, leading to charges that Schumann was an inept orchestrator. Editions published by Clara Schumann and Alfred Dörffel as well as performing editions prepared by Woldemar Bargiel and Gustav Mahler reflect ideals of the late nineteenth century that differ markedly from those Schumann advanced in his 1851 autograph and in the Symphony's first publication in 1853. An examination of the manuscript sources and the editions authorized by Schumann reveals that he imbued the Symphony with what he called a "special meaning" in the form of an implied narrative. Although Schumann provided no written account of this narrative, it is revealed in orchestrational devices, particularly orchestration, dynamics, and articulation, many of which have been either altered or suppressed by later editors. A reconsideration of these devices as they are transmitted through the authorized sources permits a rediscovery of the work's special meaning and rectifies long-standing misperceptions that have become entrenched in the general literature concerning Schumann in general and the D-minor Symphony in particular.

Stefanie Reinhold befasst sich in ihrem Artikel mit Robert und Clara Schumann und gibt hier auf Grundlage des von beiden geführten Tagebuches Einblicke in das gemeinsame Leben eines Künstlerehepaars am Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts.

The research project “Beethovens Werkstatt” is intended as a contribution to basic musicological research. Methods, concepts and digital components developed in this project using the example of Beethoven are meant to be transferable to other composers. In my paper, I choose Robert Schumann as an example to test this transferability. Concepts that were developed in the course of the first module of “Beethovens Werkstatt” aim at the reconstruction and digital representation of genetic variants. They are based on research on the composer’s work processes. Fundamental aspects of this research include, for example, the temporality of the writing process; the composer’s self-critical dialogue with what he has already written; the work routines that may lie behind it (can certain compositional strategies be derived from them?). These questions are not only specific to Beethoven. They can generally be asked in connection with other composers. However, a prerequisite for an insightful research is a good record of handwritten texts and manuscripts. Due to the rich source material and Schumann’s habit of documenting many details in his diaries and working manuscripts, a text-genetic and digital analysis of his working methods is particularly suitable.

The article examines the significance of one of Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s masterpieces. First, it highlights the circumstances of its production and the contemporary critical acclaim in the AmZ. In a second step, Robert Schumann’s involvement with this work is shown. In his journal, the sonata of Hummel is mentioned several times which indicates the engagement of the young piano discipline. In a short article, published in the NZfM in the year 1839, Schumann links this sonata with the compositional “way of Mozart” and thus gives an important hint to the formal design of the piece itself. Aspects of formal organization and structure of this sonata are analyzed and presented in the third part of the essay. In opposition to Beethoven’s motivic development, Hummel pursues another strategy of formal structure by stringing together each of the segments and themes. Thus, the focus shifts from a dynamic design of sonata-form to a more epic layout of the piece. Additionally, technical development and innovations concerning piano techniques and virtuosity are examined.

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