Symphony No 3 in E flat Major
(The Rhenish), Op. 97
Robert Schumann (1810-56)
Lebhaft; Scherzo: Sehr mässig; Nicht schnell; Feierlich; Lebhaft
Robert Schumann wrote, ‘If the eye is once directed to a certain point, the ear can no longer judge independently.’ By this he meant that music with pictorial titles inevitably steers the listener’s mind along a visual or narrative path, thus preventing the music from making its impact as music per se. So, why ‘Rhenish’? Schumann was influenced by Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony. Beethoven gave his symphony’s second movement a title: ‘Scene at the Brook’, so Schumann gave his second movement a title as well: ‘Morning on the Rhine’. He quickly erased it but the deed had been done, and the ‘Rhenish’ tag remained. Shortly before its composition, Schumann and his wife Clara moved to Düsseldorf and found the general air of the city to be more congenial than that of the dour ‘Middle Germany’ where they had lived previously. It has been suggested that the cheerful character of this symphony reflects that of the region, through which the Rhine flows.
Schumann was inclined towards taciturnity: a characteristic that led to his eventual insanity. Richard Wagner wrote, ‘It is impossible to communicate with Schumann. The man is hopeless; he does not talk at all.’ Interestingly, in a letter to Johannes Brahms, Schumann wrote, ‘For me Wagner is impossible … he talks without ever stopping.’ Perhaps one view explains the other! Whatever the case, this symphony is a rare expression of unbridled joy, and that is pure Schumann.
The exuberance is apparent from the first bar as a soaring melody with lop-sided rhythms sets the pace and mood for the movement as a whole. The scherzo, modelled on the Austrian Ländler, offers a ‘comfortable Rhenish rusticity in its lilt’, as Sir Donald Tovey wrote. The trio section features high-playing horns and a rare harmonic device known as a ‘mediant pedal’. This causes some strange (sometimes very strange) effects that contribute to the unique character of the movement.
The short slow movement, Nicht schnell, uses a reduced orchestra and provides an intimate, untroubled contrast to the more substantial movements that flank it. Schumann favoured light rather than heavy slow movements, possibly emulating the clock-like scherzo in Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. This central offering contains no surprises in rhythm or tonality yet is rich in melody.
Clara and Robert Schumann attended the celebrations associated with Archbishop von Gneissel’s elevation to the Cardinalate in Cologne cathedral, providing inspiration for the fourth movement of the Rhenish Symphony. Its measured pace and solemnity conjure the lofty vaults of a cathedral or church. The trombones, who join the orchestra for the first time at this point, are presented with demanding and exposed challenges, way above their comfort zone. A scampering motif joins the procession. It’s the original melody played at four times the original speed. Together, the ‘parent and great-grandson’ weave in and out of each other in what has been described as ‘…one of the finest pieces of ecclesiastical polyphony since Bach.’ The last movement gallops along happily while delighting the audience towards the end as the ‘cathedral’ music returns to join the festivities.
The first performance, conducted by Schumann in Düsseldorf in 1851, was a magnificent success, leading to more ‘repeat’ performances than almost any other première by any composer up to that time. It marked a turning point in Schumann’s career, with music publishers craving his favours rather than the reverse.
(The Rhenish), Op. 97
Robert Schumann (1810-56)
Lebhaft; Scherzo: Sehr mässig; Nicht schnell; Feierlich; Lebhaft
Robert Schumann wrote, ‘If the eye is once directed to a certain point, the ear can no longer judge independently.’ By this he meant that music with pictorial titles inevitably steers the listener’s mind along a visual or narrative path, thus preventing the music from making its impact as music per se. So, why ‘Rhenish’? Schumann was influenced by Ludwig van Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony. Beethoven gave his symphony’s second movement a title: ‘Scene at the Brook’, so Schumann gave his second movement a title as well: ‘Morning on the Rhine’. He quickly erased it but the deed had been done, and the ‘Rhenish’ tag remained. Shortly before its composition, Schumann and his wife Clara moved to Düsseldorf and found the general air of the city to be more congenial than that of the dour ‘Middle Germany’ where they had lived previously. It has been suggested that the cheerful character of this symphony reflects that of the region, through which the Rhine flows.
Schumann was inclined towards taciturnity: a characteristic that led to his eventual insanity. Richard Wagner wrote, ‘It is impossible to communicate with Schumann. The man is hopeless; he does not talk at all.’ Interestingly, in a letter to Johannes Brahms, Schumann wrote, ‘For me Wagner is impossible … he talks without ever stopping.’ Perhaps one view explains the other! Whatever the case, this symphony is a rare expression of unbridled joy, and that is pure Schumann.
The exuberance is apparent from the first bar as a soaring melody with lop-sided rhythms sets the pace and mood for the movement as a whole. The scherzo, modelled on the Austrian Ländler, offers a ‘comfortable Rhenish rusticity in its lilt’, as Sir Donald Tovey wrote. The trio section features high-playing horns and a rare harmonic device known as a ‘mediant pedal’. This causes some strange (sometimes very strange) effects that contribute to the unique character of the movement.
The short slow movement, Nicht schnell, uses a reduced orchestra and provides an intimate, untroubled contrast to the more substantial movements that flank it. Schumann favoured light rather than heavy slow movements, possibly emulating the clock-like scherzo in Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony. This central offering contains no surprises in rhythm or tonality yet is rich in melody.
Clara and Robert Schumann attended the celebrations associated with Archbishop von Gneissel’s elevation to the Cardinalate in Cologne cathedral, providing inspiration for the fourth movement of the Rhenish Symphony. Its measured pace and solemnity conjure the lofty vaults of a cathedral or church. The trombones, who join the orchestra for the first time at this point, are presented with demanding and exposed challenges, way above their comfort zone. A scampering motif joins the procession. It’s the original melody played at four times the original speed. Together, the ‘parent and great-grandson’ weave in and out of each other in what has been described as ‘…one of the finest pieces of ecclesiastical polyphony since Bach.’ The last movement gallops along happily while delighting the audience towards the end as the ‘cathedral’ music returns to join the festivities.
The first performance, conducted by Schumann in Düsseldorf in 1851, was a magnificent success, leading to more ‘repeat’ performances than almost any other première by any composer up to that time. It marked a turning point in Schumann’s career, with music publishers craving his favours rather than the reverse.