The Classics a Day team honors Robert Schumann's birthday (June 8, 1810). The theme for June is Schumann and his circle. During the month, you're encouraged to share works written by Schumann, his friends, his colleagues, his rivals -- and of course, his wife.
Here are my #ClassicsaDay selections for the last week of #SchumannsCircle.
6/28/21 Joseph Joachim plays Brahms Hungarian Dance #1
Joachim recorded this work by his close friend on August 17, 1903. It was as part of a session for Gramophone and Typewriter Ltd.
6/29/21 Ignaz Moscheles: Piano Concerto No. 6 "Fantastique"
Moscheles, who had studied with Beethoven, didn't think much of younger composers like Chopin. But he did admire Schumann very much.
6/30/21 Niccolo Paganini: Caprice No. 24
Schumann saw Paganini perform in 1830. He wrote, "How he cast his magnetic chains into the listeners lightly and invisibly so that the latter swayed from one side to the other!"
The Classics a Day team honors Robert Schumann's birthday (June 8, 1810). The theme for June is Schumann and his circle. During the month, you're encouraged to share works written by Schumann, his friends, his colleagues, his rivals -- and of course, his wife.
Here are my #ClassicsaDay selections for the third week of #SchumannsCircle.
6/21/21 Robert Schumann - Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6
The theme for this 1837 suite was based on a mazurka by Clara Wieck (who he would eventually marry).
6/22/21 Clara Wieck - Soirées musicales, Op. 6
Clara was about 17 when she composed this collection. Her future husband Robert Schumann would use the G major Mazurka from this work for his Davidsbündlertänze.
6/23/21 Williams Sterndale Bennet - Capriccio in D minor, Op. 2
Bennet spent three winters in Leipzig, composing and hanging out with Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann. His opus 2 was written in 1835 when Bennet was nineteen.
6/24/21 Norbert Burgmüller - Duo for clarinet and piano Op. 15
Dubbed the "Schubert of the Rhine," Burgmüller wrote this duo in 1834, Schumann greatly admired his music and mourned his early death at age 26.
6/25/21 Johannes Brahms - Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 2
This sonata was dedicated to Clara Schumann and was submitted to Breitkopf und Härtel for publication with a letter of recommendation from her husband.
The Classics a Day team honors Robert Schumann's birthday (June 8, 1810). The theme for June is Schumann and his circle. During the month, you're encouraged to share works written by Schumann, his friends, his colleagues, his rivals -- and of course, his wife.
Here are my #ClassicsaDay selections for the third week of #SchumannsCircle.
6/14/21 Robert Schumann - Etudes in Variation Form on a Theme by Beethoven
Schumann worked on these variations on a theme from Beethoven's 7th Symphony from 1831-1835. They were left incomplete at the time of his death but survived the posthumous purging of his manuscripts by Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
6/15/21 Ignaz Moscheles - Alexander Variations for Piano and Orchestra Op. 32
Moscheles was one of Schumann's inspirations. Moscheles himself was greatly inspired by Beethoven.
6/16/12 Ludwig Schunke - Variations concertantes sur la Valse funèbre de Schubert, Op. 14
Schunke and Schumann were close friends, and both admired Schubert. Schuncke's death at age 24 hit Schumann hard.
6/17/21 Franz Schubert - Symphony No. 9
Schumann discovered the manuscript for Schubert's 9th in a chest. "The riches that lay here made me tremble with excitement," he wrote.
6/18/21 Robert Schumann - Six Intermezzi, Op. 4
These were written in 1832, a year after Papillions. In a way, they're a longer form of those pieces, although without any programmatic elements.
The Classics a Day team honors Robert Schumann's birthday (June 8, 1810). The theme for June is Schumann and his circle. During the month, you're encouraged to share works written by Schumann, his friends, his colleagues, his rivals -- and of course, his wife.
Here are my #ClassicsaDay selections for the second week of #SchumannsCircle.
6/8/21 Norbert Burgmüller - Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 1
Burgmüller was friends with both Mendelssohn and Schumann. When he died at 26 Schumann compared the loss to music with Schubert's early death. He wrote this concerto at age 19.
6/9/21 Frederic Chopin - Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 11
In his review of this concerto, Schumann wrote,
"The works of Chopin are cannons concealed amongst flowers."
6/10/21 Ferdinand Hiller - Piano Concerto No. 2
Hiller studied with Hummel, was at Beethoven's deathbed, attended Schubertiads, and was a childhood friend of the Mendelssohns. His music was greatly admired by Schumann.
6/11/21 Joseph Joachim - Violin Concerto, Op. 3
Joachim was a violin virtuoso, as well as a composer. He often performed chamber works with Clara Schumann. As part of Schumann's circle, he provided technical advice for Brahms' violin concerto.
The Classics a Day team honors Robert Schumann's birthday (June 8, 1810). The theme for June is Schumann and his circle. During the month, you're encouraged to share works written by Schumann, his friends, his colleagues, his rivals -- and of course, his wife.
Here are my #ClassicsaDay selections for the first week of #SchumannsCircle.
6/1/21 Robert Schumann - Abegg Variations, Op. 1
There are two origin stories for this work. It's dedicated to Pauline von Abegg who he met in the 1820s. Or it refers to Meta Abegg, one of his many fictitious friends.
6/2/21 Clara Wieck Schumann - Four Polonaises, Op. 1
Clara, Robert's future wife, composed these pieces when she was 10 years old.
6/3/21 Johannes Brahms - Piano Sonata No.1, Op. 1
Brahms submitted the score to Breitkopf & Hartel with a letter of recommendation from Schumann. It was dedicated to Joseph Joachim, another member of Schumann's circle.
6/4/21 William Sterndale Bennett - Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 1
At age 20 Bennett was invited to Leipzig by Mendelssohn. It was there he met Schumann, and the three became friends. This concerto was written when Bennett was 18.
Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810. Some of us contributing to the #ClassicsaDay feed decided to celebrate that birthday. For the month of June, we encouraged folks to post works by Schumann and his circle. Schumann worked with several major composers of the day. He also reviewed up-and-coming composers in his magazine.
Here are my selections for the fourth and final week of #ClassicsaDay #SchumannsCircle
Robert Schumann - Sechs Fugen über den Namen: Bach, Op. 60
Schumann, along with Mendelssohn were champions of J.S. Bach's music. In 1845 Schumann emulated Bach by using the musical notes of his name (B-flat, A, C, B natural) as a fugal subject.
Franz Liszt (1811-1886) - Fantasy and Fugue on the Theme B-A-C-H
Initially, Schumann didn't think much of Franz Liszt. Over time, that opinion changed, and they became friends. They both shared a love of Bach, and both wrote music based on his name. Liszt's Fantasy and Fugue was finished in 1855, ten years after Schumann's tribute.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) - Prelude and Fugue in B-Flat Major on the name B.A.C.H. BWV 898
In the 19th Century, Bach's music inspired many composers. Several emulated Bach and wrote music based on his name. As it turns out, one of the works that inspired them -- the Prelude and Fugue BWV 898, may not have been written by Bach, but by one of his students.
Robert Schumann - Missa Sacra in C minor, Op. 147
Schumann studied the music of Giovanni Palestrina. As a conductor, he programmed Palestrina choral works regularly. His 1852 mass shows both the influence of Palestrina's Renaissance polyphony.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) - Missa Papae Marcelli
One of Palestrina's most famous work - and certainly one Schumann was familiar with -- was the Pope Marcellus Mass. The work was written in 1562. According to legend, Palestrina wrote the mass to demonstrate to the Council of Trent that counterpoint still had a place in the Counter-Reformation.
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) - Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann in F-sharp minor, Op. 9
No look at Schumann's Circle would be complete without Brahms. Brahms became close friends with both Robert and Clara in 1853. Both supported the younger composer. In 1854 Schumann was institutionalized. Brahms' Variations, written the same year, was a fitting tribute. The theme was by Robert, the dedication was to Clara.
Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810. Some of us contributing to the #ClassicsaDay feed decided to celebrate that birthday. For the month of June, we encouraged folks to post works by Schumann and his circle. Schumann worked with several major composers of the day. He also reviewed up-and-coming composers in his magazine.
Here are my selections for the third week of #ClassicsaDay #SchumannsCircle
Robert Schumann - Etudes after Paganini Caprices, Op. 3
When he was 20 years old, Schumann saw Nicolo Paganini in concert. It inspired him to pursue a career in music. That same year he began piano lessons with Friedrich Wieck. The Etudes were published in 1832. A second work based on Paganini's music followed in 1833.
Nicolo Paganini (1782-1840) - Violin Concerto No. 4 in D minor
Paganini wrote his fourth concerto for his 1829-30 tour of Germany, although it was officially premiered in Paris the following year. A twenty-year-old Robert Schumann saw Paganini in concert during that tour.
Robert Schumann - Papillons, Op. 2
Schuman's "Butterflies" is based on a masquerade in Jean Paul's novel, Die Flegeljahre. Schumann also conducted a masquerade in his 1831 essay on Chopin's own Op.2. He adopted three different personalities who engaged in a heated discussion of the work.
Frédéric Chopin ( Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" for piano and orchestra, Op. 2
Chopin wrote this set of variations when he was 17. Schumann heard the work in 1831. His famous review of it in Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung proclaimed "Hats off, gentlemen! A genius!" Clara Wieck, age 12, wrote "[Chopin's Op. 2] which I learned in eight days, is the hardest piece I have ever seen or played till now."
Heinrich Dorn (1804-1892) Das Mädchen an den Mond
Schumann studied counterpoint with Heinrich Dorn in 1834. Dorn was the conductor of the Leipzig Opera and a friend of Franz Liszt. He wrote numerous art songs, as well as ten operas. His opera "Die Nibelungen" premiered in 1853, decades before Wagner's version.
Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810. Some of us contributing to the #ClassicsaDay feed decided to celebrate that birthday.
For the month of June, we encouraged folks to post works by Schumann and his circle. Schumann worked with several major composers of the day. He also reviewed up-and-coming composers in his magazine. Here are my selections for the second week of #ClassicsaDay
Robert Schumann - Piano Concerto in F major, mvt. III
Schumann saw pianist/composer Ignaz Moscheles in concert. It inspired him to go into music as a career. Moscheles wrote eight piano concertos, Schumann struggled to produce one. The concerto in F major was the second of three abandoned attempts. He worked on it from 1829-31.
Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870) - Piano Concerto No. 3 in G minor, Op. 58
Moscheles was a highly successful piano virtuoso and composer. Schumann was inspired to take up music after seeing him in concert. Moscheles also conducted concerto performances with Clara Schumann as soloist.
Robert Schumann - Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 11
Schumann wrote his first piano sonata in 1835, the year he met Felix Mendelssohn. The Mendelssohns -- Felix and Fanny -- became close friends with the Schumanns -- Robert and Clara.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) - Scherzo a capriccio WoO 3
Mendelssohn and Schumann met in 1835, the year this work was written. They were close friends. In 1839 he received the recently rediscovered score of Schubert's 8th Symphony from Schumann. Mendelssohn premiered it in March of that year.
Robert Schumann was an ardent supporter of Burgmüller. The young composer had completed but a few works when he died at age 26. They included a piano concerto and two symphonies. The second symphony was left unfinished. Schumann completed the second and third movements based on Burgmüller's sketches. There wasn't enough of the final movement for Schumann to build on, so the symphony remains unfinished. Schumann premiered it in 1837.
Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810. Some of us contributing to the #ClassicsaDay feed decided to celebrate that birthday. For the month of June, we encouraged folks to post works by Schumann and his circle. Schumann worked with several major composers of the day. He also reviewed up-and-coming composers in his magazine.
Here are my selections for the first week of #ClassicsaDay #SchumannsCircle
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) - Ten Impromptus on a Theme by Clara Wieck, Op. 5
Robert Schumann was studying piano with Friedrich Wieck. Schumann became enchanted with his daughter, Clara. Young Clara was an extremely talented pianist and composer. Schumann wrote these ten impromptus based on one of her themes. Clara was thirteen when Schumann presented his finished work to her. They were married eight years later.
Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896) - Romance Varié for piano, Op. 3
Wieck was a prodigious musical prodigy, both at the keyboard and with the pen. Most of her works were written while she was young. The Romance Varié, for example, was composed when she was 12 or 13. Robert Schumann made one of the themes the basis for his 10 Impromptus, Op. 5.
Robert Schumann - Toccata in C major, Op. 7
Schumann dedicated this work to his close friend Ludwig Schunke. Schunke was Schumann's next-door neighbor and at one point dissuaded Schumann from suicide. Schunke was a pianist/composer with great promise. He died at age 23.
Ludwig Schumke (1810-1834) - Grand Sonate in G minor, Op. 3
Schumke was a piano virtuoso and composer, whose career was cut short by tuberculosis. He performed with Lizst and Chopin. He was a close friend of Robert Schumann. He co-founded Schumann's Neue Zeitschrift für Musik. Schumke dedicated his grande sonata to his friend.
Robert Schumann - Symphonic Studies, Op. 13
Schuman wrote this set of etudes in 1834. It features a theme by amateur musician Baron von Fricken, and eleven variations. The twelve etude was based on "Proud England, rejoice!" from a Heinrich Marschner opera. It was dedicated to Schumann's friend, William Sterndale Bennett.
William Sterndale Bennett (1816-1875) The Naiads ~ Concert Overture Op. 15
Bennett was a close personal friend of Schumann. When Schumann dedicated his Symphonic Studies to Bennett, Bennett returned the favor. His Fantasie Op. 16 was dedicated to Schumann. I couldn't find an example of that work, but Bennett's "The Naiads" was composed the same year, 1836.
