About this work
Widmung opens the song cycle Myrthen, Op. 25, with a poem by Friedrich Rückert. The voice enters almost at once above piano arpeggios that drive the phrase forward. Schumann alternates open declaration with more restrained moments; the final return should therefore do more than sound louder—it should carry the memory of what has just been confided.
The pianist can first practise the arpeggios as block chords to feel the harmonic changes and important bass notes. Once the movement is restored, the right hand must remain supple enough not to cover the singer’s consonants. The singer, meanwhile, will gain more by choosing the words that lead each phrase than by giving every syllable equal weight.
Rehearse the breaths with the piano: some coincide with a harmonic release, while others must carry across the accompaniment. The tempo stays animated, but it can breathe without coming apart. If every emotional peak demands an acceleration, the chief result will be to leave the pianist behind.
What the document containsthe first song from Myrthen, Op. 25, for voice and piano;a 4-page PDF;an accompanying MIDI file.The file retains Rückert’s German text and the original version for voice and piano, distinct from the transcriptions by Liszt or Clara Schumann.