Notes for: August 12, 2008
In their efforts to break away from the strictures of the classical period, 19th century composers often wrote short compositions to express a mood or sentiment rather than to work out musical ideas in a formal fashion. Written mostly for the piano, these so-called “character pieces” generally bore titles suggesting smallness or casualness. Thus, Beethoven wrote bagatelles; Schubert, impromptus and moments musicaux; Mendelssohn, “songs without words” and “children’s pieces”; Brahms, intermezzi; and Chopin, nocturnes, preludes and ballades.
Schumann was perhaps the most imaginative coiner of designations, contributing phantasiestücke (fantasy pieces), nachtstücke (night pieces), albumblätter (album leaves), novelettes, arabeskes and humoreskes. Further, he invented such descriptive titles as Papillons (Butterflies), Carnaval (Carnival), Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), Märchenbilder (Fairy Pictures), Märchenerzählungen (Fairy Fables), and Faschingsschwank aus Wien (Carnival Prank from Vienna). Schumann was the first to extend these fanciful titles from the solo piano to chamber music, particularly to informal hausmusik, works designed for family performance in the living room.
For two of these informal works, Schumann took the word märchen – literally “fairy tales” – from a favorite narrative form in 19th century German literature.
In its literary setting, the term had two possible meanings. On the one hand, it could denote simple folk tales such as those collected by the brothers Grimm or tales written in imitation of folk style. On the other hand, it could refer to deeply philosophical or allegorical tales by such writers as Goethe and E.T.A. Hoffman. Either way, a märchen was usually set in a fantastic realm rather than in the real world.
Schumann read these tales for his own enjoyment and to his children, and was inspired to create musical counterparts. For example, in his Waldszenen (Forest Scenes), Op. 82, he composed nine short piano pieces with titles like “Lonely Flowers,” “Friendly Landscape” and “Prophet Bird” to depict musically the enchanted forest scenes portrayed in literary märchen. He then went a step further, composing two märchen-inspired works without any specific scenes in mind – that is, works that expressed in general terms the märchen’s fanciful world.
Each of the two works – Märchenbilder, Op. 113, composed in 1851, and Märchenerzählungen, Op. 132, composed two years later – was created for an unusual and distinctive combination of instruments. Thus, Schuman composed the former piece for viola and piano rather than the usual violin and piano, and in the latter he added a clarinet to this unusual grouping.
Schumann had two reasons for this choice of instruments. First, he wanted a darker sound to portray the märchen world, and with its lower range, the viola seemed more appropriate than the customary violin. Then, in Op. 132, a clarinet seemed more suitable as an additional instrument than a flute or oboe, since the viola and clarinet have a similar range and a matching rich, dark sound, making possible an intimate dialogue.
Second, to enhance the marketability of the two märchen-related works for domestic use, Schumann wrote them for the viola, whose repertory is thin compared with the wealth of material for the violin. While in each case he offered the violin as an alternative, they have remained mainly viola pieces.
In Fairy Tales, Op. 132, Schumann returned to the writing of the informal “miniatures” that he favored in earlier years but with the darker coloration of the viola. The third movement is particularly poignant, with the viola and clarinet sharing a song-like theme over rocking 16th notes in the piano.
The movement captions can be translated as follows: “Lively, not too fast;” “Lively and clearly accented;” “Calmly, with tender expression;” and “Lively, clearly accented.”