Frauenliebe und Leben
Chamisso's Poems and Schumann's Songs

Rufus Hallmark interprets Schumann's famously controversial song cycle in the social, literary, and musical contexts of contemporary German society.

Rufus Hallmark (Author)

9781107002302, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 4 December 2014

294 pages, 14 tables 44 music examples
25.5 x 18.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.76 kg

Rufus Hallmark's book explores Robert Schumann's beloved yet controversial song cycle Frauenliebe und Leben and the poems of Adelbert von Chamisso on which it is based, setting them in the context of the challenges and social expectations faced by women in early nineteenth-century Germany. Hallmark provides the most extensive English-language study of Chamisso, a poet little known today outside Germany, including a biographical sketch and excerpts from his other poetry. He examines a range of poems about women, by Chamisso and others, and discusses the reception of the poetic and musical cycles, including illustrated editions, contemporary reviews, and other musical settings. Based on new studies of Schumann's manuscript sources and on comparative analyses of his songs and settings by Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, Franz Lachner and others, Hallmark provides fresh musical and interpretive insights into each song.

Introduction
1. Women in early nineteenth-century Germany: societal conventions, ideology, relationships
Part I. The Poetry: 2. Adelbert von Chamisso: a sketch of his life and works
3. Chamisso's poems about women: a literary context for Frauenliebe und Leben
Part II. The Music: 4. The musical reception of Frauenliebe und Leben
5. Schumann at work on his songs
6. Schumann's cycle: analysis and comparative interpretation
Afterword
Appendix 1. Chronological listing of nineteenth-century Frauenliebe und Leben settings
Appendix 2. Poetry in the original German and in English translation.

Subject Areas: Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups [AVH], Western "classical" music [AVGC], Theory of music & musicology [AVA], Music [AV]