Robert Schumann: Novelletten, Opus 21, a Lecture Recital, Together with Three Recitals of Selected Works of L.v. Beethoven, R. Schumann, J. Brahms, and E. Granados

The Novelletten of Robert Schumann stand out as unusual among his works for solo piano. It is the largest cycle of character pieces in his output and has other distinguishing features. One unusual aspect of the work is its abundance of literary references which Schumann revealed at various points when it was being composed. This is an aspect unique to this cycle since Schumann's other cycles refer to a single literary source. One of the purposes of this paper is to discuss these numerous literary references which have never been examined in any detail before. Present in the Novelletten is a use of musical motives from works of his wife Clara. There are also musical references to other composers such as Beethoven and Haydn. This quoting of himself and others is not an uncommon practice for Schumann but here, in context with remarks made by Schumann himself about the work, the nature of his use of these musical references becomes more transparent. One of the main points being made through this discussion of literary and musical references in the Novelletten is that partly through these elements the work is unified into an eight movement cycle.