When Schumann, a central figure in the Romantic era, composed his Three Romances in 1849, a significant number of his many works carried vague descriptive titles like Etude, Fantasy, Impromptu, and Intermezzo. Romance was another of those frequently utilized terms, often appropriated by composers in Schumann’s time to suggest a mood rather than a form. Schumann’s use of the term in these works recalls an earlier meaning of the word: a sung narrative poem in several stanzas, of the kind the folklorists call a ballad, with a rhythmic accompaniment.
Schumann gave the pieces as a Christmas present to his wife Clara, whom he once described as his own "right hand." Schumann's mental health was quickly deteriorating during the time of his composing these pieces; shortly afterward, he moved from Dresden to Düsseldorf, where he was admitted to and eventually died in an asylum.
Written originally for the oboe as a series of three pieces, his romances also now exist in versions for the violin, the clarinet, and the flute as solo instruments with piano. Schumann wrote these pieces during a particularly prolific period for him in 1849, toward the end of his days in Dresden. In these lyrical romances, Schumann celebrates melody. The works are all in a moderate tempo, and they are tender, poetic, and nostalgic. The two outer pieces are in A minor, the central one in A Major. All three romances are part of an exploration of the color variations possible for solo instruments in the chamber forms which occupied Schumann in the four years after he composed these works. They also seem to have been inspired by his interest in old legends.
On November 2, 1850, the pieces were first performed privately with Clara Schumann on piano and François Schubert on violin. They were first performed publicly several years after Schumann's death on January 24 and February 14, in 1863 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, featuring Emilius Lund, oboe, and Carl Reinecke, on piano. It is likely that Schumann’s prolific output of compositions during this period were as a result of financial struggles; he was motivated to write both to earn money and to gain visibility. In addition, that fact that the works were adaptable to different instruments made them reach a broad audience. When the work was first published in 1850, alternate violin and clarinet versions were added, but Schumann unhappily responded to the publisher, “If I had originally written the work for violin or clarinet, it would have become a completely different piece.”
No. 1, Nicht schnell (not too fast) begins with an introductory piano phrase, which is followed by the oboe playing the central theme while the piano has a layered accompaniment. After a faster main section, the movement ends softly after a repeat of the central theme. The romance, overall, has been described as "tranquil.”
No. 2. In this lyrical Romance, Einfach, innig, (simple and heartfelt) Schumann celebrates melody. The work, like the others, is written in a moderate tempo and has a tender, poetical, and nostalgic character. Steven Isserlis comments that that this song suggests the song of an “unsullied maiden of yore.”
No. 3, Nicht schnell, but with many changes of mood, has been described as "the most rugged and colorful-sounding [romance]." It is reminiscent of Brahms. This, the final romance, is the liveliest of the three. Here Isserlis feels that the inspiration could have been of an “ancient nightwatchman whom we hear calling the town’s soldiers to action,” and further, in the middle section, perhaps “an abandoned sweetheart grieves?” Isserlis admits his interpretations may be a bit fanciful, but feels they were motivated by Schumann’s own fancifulness.
Copyright © Susan Halpern, 2025