The Classical Music Book

169

movement as a scherzo and trio,

Schumann was influenced by

Beethoven, who had created this

structure out of the older minuet

and trio, but here, too, Schumann’s

composition contains further

innovation: there are two trios

instead of the usual one, and they

are in different time signatures.

The last movement of the “Spring”

Symphony is traditional in its

structure but full of a humor that

seems to anticipate Tchaikovsky

in his lighter moments. Toward

the end, Schumann has one last

surprise in store—a theme from his

piano piece Kreisleriana suddenly

appears in a slightly altered form.

Although it is not known why he

did this, such self-quotation was

not unusual for Schumann.

New approach

Almost entirely self-taught as

a composer, Schumann brought

an originality and freshness to

the symphony that earned him

ROMANTIC 1810 –1920

considerable acclaim. In using

programmatic titles and literary

references, as well as in the very

sounds of the music he produced,

Schumann helped to define the

early Romantic ethos.

The early Romantic symphony

paid more attention to orchestration

than the classical symphony had;

it used a wider palette of orchestral

timbres and combined instrumental

forces in new ways. Instruments

that had previously been less

popular—such as the harp, tuba,

and trombone, as well as a number

of percussion instruments—also

became standard features.

Composers of this period seldom

thought of themselves as markedly

different from their classical

forebears and were essentially

trying to bring the new “Romantic”

spirit of revolutionary politics to

life, using quite traditional means.

However, as the wider Romantic

movement gained traction, some

innovative composers—such as

Berlioz and Liszt—experimented,

not always successfully, with new

approaches to harmony, rhythm,

and structure. It was this spirit of

experimentation that paved the

way for late Romanticism. ■

Form gives way

to expression

The music composed by the

Romantic generation strove to

reflect the importance of the

individual. Taking their cue in

part from Beethoven—whose

Ninth Symphony had broken

the mold—composers sought

to create music free from

well-established structures,

such as the minuet and trio

and the rondo, and develop

other forms, such as the

sonata principle and fugue.

Their innovations gave

the music of the Romantic

composers an immediacy that

enabled it to be more easily

understood by middle-class

audiences, who were generally

untrained in music but wished

to enjoy it as entertainment.

In the same vein, Romantic

works were often given titles

to help new listeners grasp

the mood and story of the

music. Some musicians, such

as Berlioz and Liszt, would

even provide a written

program to explain the

intended narrative of the

music to their audience.

I feel so entirely in my element

with a full orchestra; even if

my mortal enemies were ...

before me, I could lead them,

master them, surround

them, or repulse them.

Robert Schumann

The German city of Leipzig became

Schumann’s home from 1828. He wrote

many works at the house he shared

with his wife, Clara Wieck. Situated on

Inselstrasse 18, this is now a museum.

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