Schumann and Brahms — The Introspection of German Romanticism

The Introspection of German Romanticism

Against the Parisian salons of Chopin and the transcendent virtuosity of Liszt from the previous articles, the introspective German Romantic piano music:

• Robert Schumann (1810–1856) — poetic and literary; mental illness; early death at 46
• Clara Schumann (1819–1896) — the greatest woman pianist of the 19th century, Robert’s wife
• Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) — heir to the Classical tradition; Clara’s lifelong friend

The three of Schumann’s marriage and Brahms form the central triangle of 19th-century German Romanticism.

Robert Schumann — Poet, Critic, Composer

Robert Alexander Schumann (1810–1856) is treated in detail in article 05 of the sister [Lineage of Western Music] series. Here we focus on his piano music.

Three Faces

1. Aspiring poet and novelist — son of a bookseller, drawn to literature in youth
2. Music critic — founded the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1834; launched Chopin and later Brahms
3. Composer — first half of his career for piano, second half across all genres

Damaged Fingers

The young Schumann aspired to be a virtuoso pianist, but in the early 1830s injured his right middle finger (theories range from finger-strengthening devices to mercury treatments for syphilis). He abandoned the virtuoso path and turned to composition and criticism.

“A pianist who could no longer play, writing music that cannot be played” — one aspect of Schumann’s piano music. Many of his difficult works demand extreme finger independence.

Schumann’s Piano Works — Poetic and Literary

Schumann’s piano music is concentrated in his 20s in the 1830s. Of his life’s Op. 1–133, Op. 1–28 (the first half) is almost entirely for piano.

Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6 (1837)

Eighteen pieces, each depicting a member of Schumann’s imaginary “League of David” musical circle. His dual personality of Florestan and Eusebius (see article 05 of the sister series).

Carnaval, Op. 9 (1834–1835)

Twenty character pieces. The whole is unified by the four notes A-S-C-H (German note names for “Asch”), the hometown of his then-girlfriend Ernestine von Fricken.

• Musical portraits of Chopin and Paganini
• Self-portraits of Eusebius and Florestan
• Finale: “March of the Davidsbündler against the Philistines”

Standard pianist repertoire worldwide.

Kinderszenen, Op. 15 (1838)

Thirteen pieces of “an adult recalling childhood”:

• Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (“Of Foreign Lands and People”) — No. 1
• Träumerei — No. 7, the most famous piece by Schumann
• Am Kamin, Ritter vom Steckenpferd, Kind im Einschlummern, Der Dichter spricht

Not “music for children” but “the child’s world seen by the adult.” Deep nostalgia.

Kreisleriana, Op. 16 (1838)

Eight pieces inspired by E. T. A. Hoffmann’s musical novels of the Kapellmeister Kreisler. Schumann’s empathy for the mad artist. A masterpiece of programmatic writing.

Fantasy in C major, Op. 17 (1836)

A vast three-movement piano fantasia. A love letter to Clara and dedication to Beethoven, in the fusion of sonata and fantasy. Schumann’s largest solo work.

Symphonic Études, Op. 13 (1834–1837)

Theme and variations: 12 variations + 5 posthumously published variations. Brilliant performance effect, sometimes compared with Liszt.

And More

• Abegg Variations, Op. 1 (1830) — debut work, on the “ABEGG” motif
• Papillons, Op. 2 (1831) — 12 pieces
• Toccata, Op. 7 (1832) — an extremely demanding étude
• Arabesque, Op. 18 (1839) — a short gem
• Blumenstück, Op. 19 (1839)
• Humoreske, Op. 20 (1839)
• Novelletten, Op. 21 (1838) — 8 pieces
• Three Romances, Op. 28 (1839)

Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (1841–1845)

Schumann’s only completed piano concerto, dedicated to Clara. One of the three great Romantic piano concertos (with Grieg and Tchaikovsky).

• Clara performed it frequently and spread it in the world
• Three movements with cyclic themes
• Frequently performed and recorded today

The Song Year — 1840

On marrying Clara in 1840, Schumann shifted from piano to lieder. 138 songs:

• Dichterliebe, Op. 48 — 16 songs on Heine
• Frauenliebe und -leben, Op. 42 — 8 songs
• Liederkreis, Op. 39 — on Eichendorff

These are songs with piano accompaniment, and the piano part is extremely important (Schumann’s own strength). Standard repertoire for modern singers and pianists.

Clara Schumann — The Greatest Woman Pianist of the 19th Century

Clara Josephine Wieck-Schumann (1819–1896) was born in Leipzig. The greatest woman performer of the 19th century, a symbol of the woman musician alongside Fanny Mendelssohn in article 05 of the sister [Lineage of Western Music] series.

Life

• 13 September 1819 — Born in Leipzig; her father Friedrich Wieck was a famous piano teacher
• Age 9 — Public debut in Leipzig
• Age 11 — Begins European tours
• 12 September 1840 — Marries Robert Schumann after fighting her father’s opposition in court
• 1840–1854 — Bears eight children while continuing to perform
• February 1854 — Robert’s suicide attempt and commitment
• July 1856 — Robert dies; Clara is 37 with seven surviving children
• 1856–1896 — Forty years as a widow. Performing, promoting Robert’s works, teaching
• 1878 — Professor at the Hoch Conservatory, Frankfurt
• 20 May 1896 — Dies in Frankfurt at 76. Buried beside Robert at the Bonn Old Cemetery

Concert Life

Clara performed publicly for 61 years (1830–1891), across Europe. A virtuoso to be ranked with Liszt in the 19th century.

• Established the practice of playing from memory (until then, playing from score was mainstream)
• Introduced Beethoven’s late sonatas into her programs on a great scale
• Repertoire: Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Brahms

As Composer

Clara herself composed:

• Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 7 (1836) — age 16
• Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17 (1846)
• Many piano pieces and lieder

But social norms — “women should not compose” — led her to write less over time. A rare “invisible predecessor” of modern women musicians.

Robert + Clara + Brahms — The Triangle

In September 1853, the 20-year-old Brahms visited the Schumanns. Robert published New Paths in his music paper:

“Here is a spirit that has found its highest ideal … Johannes Brahms has come, born like Minerva fully armed from the head of Zeus.”

At once, the unknown 20-year-old drew world attention. Robert was Brahms’s patron.

From 1854 — Robert’s Mental Illness

• 27 February 1854, Robert attempts suicide in the Rhine
• He is committed to the Endenich asylum; Clara is not allowed to visit (on doctors’ advice)
• Brahms visits often and supports Clara and the family
• 29 July 1856, Robert dies. Clara sees him at last at the very end

Forty Years of Brahms and Clara

After Robert’s death: Clara (37) and Brahms (23) — 14 years apart. Their extensive correspondence attests to a deep emotional bond. But modern research holds that it was platonic.

Brahms remained single his whole life, and continued to write music with Clara as his muse.

Clara died on 20 May 1896. Brahms tried to rush to her funeral, missed a train, and could not arrive in time. Brahms died 11 months later, on 3 April 1897.

Johannes Brahms — The Classical Tradition

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) was born in Hamburg and worked in Vienna. Treated at length in article 06 of the sister [Lineage of Western Music] series. Here we focus on his piano music.

Piano Music in Three Periods

Early period (1852–1860) — large, passionate:

• Piano Sonata in C major, Op. 1 (1853) — “presented to” Schumann; his debut work
• Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 2 (1852)
• Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 5 (1853) — five movements, “monumental,” a peak of the young Brahms
• Scherzo in E-flat minor, Op. 4 (1851)

Middle period (1861–1879) — mature, variations:

• Handel Variations, Op. 24 (1861) — theme, 25 variations, and fugue
• Paganini Variations, Op. 35 (1863) — transcendent difficulty, Liszt-like
• Eight Piano Pieces, Op. 76 (1878) — poetic character pieces

Late period (1892–1893) — introspective miniatures:

• Seven Fantasies, Op. 116 (1892)
• Three Intermezzos, Op. 117 (1892) — “the lullaby of my grief”
• Six Pieces, Op. 118 (1893) — the famous Intermezzo in A major (No. 2)
• Four Pieces, Op. 119 (1893)

The Late Intermezzos

The 20 pieces of Op. 116–119 are Brahms’s musical testament. Short, deep, introspective. Many are dedicated to Clara.

“These pieces are monologues I speak to myself” — Brahms.

Modern performances: Backhaus, Kempff, Serkin, Brendel, Uchida, Fujita Mao.

The Two Piano Concertos

• Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 (1858) — at 26, vast (50 minutes), a “symphony with piano.” Reflects grief at Robert Schumann’s suicide attempt
• Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83 (1881) — at 48, in four movements (unusual for a concerto), 50 minutes, “a giant fusion of piano and symphony”

Among the greatest piano concertos in the world. Brahms himself gave the premieres from the piano.

Master of Variations

Brahms is the master of variation form:

• Handel Variations, Op. 24 (1861) — Wagner called it “the greatest variation set since Bach’s Goldberg”
• Paganini Variations, Op. 35 — two books, 14 variations each; among the hardest piano works
• Schumann Variations, Op. 9 — dedicated to Clara, on a theme by Robert
• Haydn Variations, Op. 56a/b — orchestral and two-piano versions

With Beethoven’s Diabelli and Bach’s Goldberg, one of the three summits of variation form.

Hungarian Dances

21 pieces for piano four hands. In the Hungarian-Roma idiom, worldwide favorites. No. 5 in F-sharp minor is overwhelmingly famous. Still a staple of children’s recitals.

Hand and Technique

Brahms’s Hands

• Large hands, tenths within reach
• Massive chords, thick sound
• Heavy use of octaves and thirds

Schumann’s Hands

• Injured middle finger, small hands
• Music demanding independent fingers
• Thin textures, a poetic sound

Difficulty in Performance

Both Brahms and Schumann are “unshowy but hard to play.” Unlike Liszt or Chopin, they demand expression of introspection and depth.

Brahms’s “Three B’s”

The three great masters of late-19th-century German music are called the “Three B’s”:

• Bach
• Beethoven
• Brahms

Coined by Hans von Bülow (1830–1894) (who called Brahms’s First Symphony “Beethoven’s Tenth”). From the Liszt/Wagner faction it looked like a defense of the old, but today it is standard usage.

Schumann and Brahms Players — 20th–21st Centuries

• Wilhelm Backhaus (1884–1969) — a heavy German sound
• Arthur Rubinstein (1887–1982) — not only Chopin but also Brahms
• Wilhelm Kempff (1895–1991) — poetic Schumann
• Rudolf Serkin (1903–1991) — an authority on Brahms
• Claudio Arrau (1903–1991) — deep Brahms
• Alfred Brendel (1931–) — intellectual Schumann
• Radu Lupu (1945–2022) — introspective Brahms
• Uchida Mitsuko (1948–) — luminous Schumann, deep Brahms
• Hélène Grimaud (1969–) — a contemporary woman Brahms player

The Lineage from Clara — Women Pianists

The lineage of women pianists in Clara’s wake:

• Clara Haskil (1895–1960) — Romania → Switzerland
• Martha Argerich (1941–) — Argentina
• Uchida Mitsuko (1948–) — Japan
• Hélène Grimaud (1969–) — France
• Yuja Wang (1987–) — China
• Alice Sara Ott (1988–) — Japan/Germany

The 19th-century Clara is the distant ancestor of today’s women pianists.

Modern Impact

• The core of chamber and vocal music — Schumann and Brahms lieder, chamber music, and concertos
• Pedagogy — intermediate and advanced piano teaching worldwide
• Recording industry — the standard for complete cycles
• A model of “introspective music” — the source of much modern interior musical writing

From This Article to the Next

We have surveyed the German Romantic piano music of Schumann and Brahms. The next article turns to Claude Debussy (1862–1918) and Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) — French Impressionist piano music. The Préludes, Images, Children’s Corner, Jeux d’eau, Gaspard de la nuit, Miroirs, Le Tombeau de Couperin — a great revolution in timbre, harmony, and structure, and the birth of “music that looks like painting.” A contrast between the introspection of German Romanticism (Schumann and Brahms) and the sensuous French piano music.