Robert Schumann: Dichterliebe (1840) | Samuel Ary, tenor

Performed on April 23, 2022 at First Presbyterian Church, Denton TX.
Samuel Ary, tenor
Stephen Carey, piano

This abbreviated performance of R. Schumman's Dichterliebe is an excerpt from my senior recital in fulfillment of my Vocal Performance degree at the University of North Texas.

Dichterliebe (1840) - Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
1. Im Wunderschönen Monat Mai - 0:10
2. Aus meinen Tränen sprießen - 1:41
3. Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne - 2:38
4. Wenn ich in deine Augen seh - 3:15
5. Ich will meine Seele tauchen - 4:46
6. Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome - 5:39
7. Ich grolle nicht - 7:40

Below are program notes from my recital:

1840 was one of the most significant years of Robert Schumann’s life, it is often referred to as Liederjahr or “Year of Songs” because he composed one hundred and forty songs within the year. Robert was finally able to marry his longtime love, Clara, when in court the marriage was sanctioned. Composing vocal repertoire was a way for Robert to release tension from his personal life, as well as a way for him to establish a family with Clara. After all, songs were the one of the most marketable products at the time. Additionally, Schumann was a lover of literature, with a focus on German literature. One of his favorite poets was Heinrich Heine, who is the textual source for Dichterliebe. Schumann selected 66 different poems from Heine’s Lyrisches Intermezzo which he could potentially set to music. He eventually decided on 20 poems and after about a week in the spring of 1840, Schumann had finished 20 Lieder unt Gesänge. In the 1844 publication, the title of the songs was changed to Dichterliebe and Schumann also cut the number of songs down to 16. Schumann’s arrangement of the texts established a tone of irony within poetic statements of love. Heine’s texts sensitively capture the bitterness that follows naïvety in youth. In this afternoon’s recital I will be performing the first seven songs from Dichterliebe, as I believe they effectively tell a story about young love that I believe many of us can relate to.

In the first song, “Im wunderschönen Monat Mai”, the singer discovers that love is flourishing from within him. Schumann creates a mood that feels introspective, constantly shifting between the keys of F-sharp minor and A-major, perhaps hinting to the uncertainty that we face when entering a new relationship. The confession of love in this opening song is symbolic of Schumann’s relationship with Clara becoming more and more romantic. The second piece, “Aus meinen Tränen sprießen”, focuses on the vulnerability the singer shows as he quietly cries himself to sleep questioning if his partner loves him. Contrast quickly shifts for the third piece, “Die Rose, die Lilie, die Tabue, die Sonne”, when at a sprightly tempo the singer confesses his love for his partner, basking in love’s bliss. The focus is placed on what the singer is feeling, to him the woman now embodies the rose, lily, dove and sun, ultimately becoming the source of everything the singer loves. The fourth song of the cycle, “Wenn ich in deine Augen seh”, quickly returns to the romantic inner thoughts of the male lover. Heine portrays the features of the woman to have properties of healing. By looking into his loved-one’s eyes, the singer’s sadness vanishes. Her lips make him healthy. However, the words “I love you” being uttered from the woman’s mouth cause him to be overcome with passion. In my study, I have interpreted the character to not necessarily believe his lover when she tells him she loves him. The next two songs continue to explore the idea of an unrequited love. In the fifth song, “Ich will meine Seele tauchen”, the singer wears his heart on his sleeve and expresses his desire to ultimately consummate his relationship with his lover, however the moment for that seems to have passed. The sixth song, “Im Rhein, im heiligen Strome”, finds the singer in the massive cathedral of Cologne on the Rhine. The character in this cycle is looking for peace through his spirituality, but he begins to compare the physicality of the Virgin Mary in the cathedral to that of his beloved’s better half. He begins to feel angry at himself for thinking that, and the heavy-sounding piano postlude gives the character an opportunity to reflect on the weight of his love and his overall existence as a man. The final song I will be performing from the cycle is “Ich grolle nicht”, which provides a great example of how Schumann makes musical use of irony. The character is declaring that he holds no grudge against his partner yet complains that she broke his heart. Throughout the short piece, the character continues to remind her that he doesn’t bear a grudge against her. It’s a reminder of the dark moments of love when one person might fall out of love with the other. The major tonality suggests that the character in this piece is more determined to take the high road although they are surrounded by the pains of rejection.