Robert Schumann never recovered from his mental illness which was caused by tertiary
neuro-syphillis, and he died at Endenich, probably from self-starvation, two years later,
on 29 July 1856. One imagines that Brahms had told Schumann about Liszt’s Sonata
when, as William Mason recounts, Brahms visited the Schumanns at their Düsseldorf
home shortly after the drowsiness incident. This visit took place in September 1853 and
in the present writer’s view would tend to contradict the view expressed by some
commentators that Schumann never knew of the dedicartion of theSonata to him, or even
of the Sonata’s existence.
Louis Kentner, in his chapter in ‘Liszt’ edited by Walker, wrote that Schumann heard
Liszt play the Sonata. This notion appears to originate in Göllerich’s ‘Liszt’ where Liszt
recalled such an incident. No corroboration can be found and it is possible that Liszt had
confused Schumann with another composer, particularly after the passage of more than
thirty years.
Liszt wanted critical support in the right quarters for his Sonata and in 1854, before June,
he wrote to his friend and supporter Louis Köhler, who was the critic for the ‘Neue
Zeitschrift für Musik’:
‘For the present I allow myself to send you my Sonata which has just been published at
Härtel’s. You will soon receive another long piece, Scherzo and March, and in the course
of the summer my Years of pilgrimage Suite of Piano Compositions will appear at
Schott’s; two years Switzerland and Italy. With these pieces I shall have done for the
present with the piano, in order to devote myself exclusively to orchestral compositions,
and to attempt more in that domain which has for a long time become an inner necessity.
Seven of the symphonic poems are perfectly ready and written out.’
Köhler had already written favourable reviews of Liszt’s compositions and they had
begun an exchange of letters. Liszt had previously sent him copies of his newest piano
works and invited him to visit Weimar which he had done in May 1853. Maybe he had
heard Liszt play his Sonata then.
Köhler reviewed the Sonata enthusiastically and in the course of his review discussed the
Sonata’s use of thematic transformation and stated how personally moved he was by the
beauty of the work. He praised Liszt’s themes for their ‘beauty and centrifugal force’ and
for their striking contrasts. He commented on the ingenious use of thematic
metamorphosis, and finally the great artistry of the entire work. His review was dated
July 1854 from Königsberg, but he may have sent Liszt a copy of the article before it was
published because Liszt wrote on 8 June 1854 with ‘a thousand thanks for all the amiable
things you write to me.’
Promising to forward other recent scores Liszt concluded:
‘But why do I chatter on with you about silly things? – Your very attentive discovery of
my intention in the second motive of the sonata ... in contrast to the earlier hammer-
stroke [‘Hammmerschlag’] ... probably led me to it.’