| dc.description.abstract | One of Clara Wieck-Schumann’s last compositions, Drei Romanzen, Op. 21 is a set of three romances composed in 1853. The analysis which follows discusses the three romances of Op. 21 through the lens of large-scale ternary form and hermeneutic implications. This thesis begins with analytical discussions of each romance, discussing form, harmonic and phrase structure, and key motivic elements. After my discussion of the individual pieces, I will look at the set as a whole through the lens of large-scale ternary form and the pastoral as an expressive genre which situates their structures, topical, and intertextual hermeneutics.
Following my analysis, I discuss how the topical references to the pastoral, coupled with themes written by Robert Schumann, evoke a sense of retrospectivity and idealization of the past. The ways in which these references are paired with recurring melodic motifs indicates continual return to a memory. Considering Wieck-Schumann’s diary entry about feelings of sadness while visiting Robert Schumann in the sanitarium on the day she wrote the first romance, I also interpret elements of Op. 21 as representing her sadness. The interpretation of these elements, combined with introversive and extroversive signifiers culminates in a narrative of lingering romance with Robert Schumann and his works. | en_US |
