Robert Schumann's Kerner-Liederreihe, Op. 35: Its Compositional Genesis and the Question of Organic Unity (original) (raw)

Op. 35 has received little scholarly attention, perhaps because it does not seem to be musically or poetically unified. Part 1 of this study is an examination of the biography and work of the poet of the texts, Justinus Kerner. In Part 2, a possible compositional genesis of the work is posited, based on study of unpublished autograph material, letters, Schumann's Tagebücher, and relevant historical context. Other scholars have established that financial need influenced Robert Schumann's "Year of Song." The Kerner-Liederreihe, composed during this year, seems to have been especially motivated by financial worries, because Schumann created it in response to the request of a local publisher. The to thank Dr. Peter Beicken, who kindly shared his expertise in nineteenth-century German Lieder with me as I attempted to place Justinus Kerner's poetry in a biographical and cultural context. The third member of my defense committee, Dr. Richard King, offered many insightful comments on my work and raised issues that I had never considered, for which I am grateful. The Musikabteilung of the Berliner Staatsbibliothek graciously provided me with high-quality facsimiles of the existing drafts of the Op. 35 songs. I thank them for their assistance, because without it my examination of the genesis of the song opus would have been impossible. iii

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