Clara Wieck Schumann's reputation as a pianist loomed large over the nineteenth century. This, as well as the fact that she was married to Robert Schumann, caused people to overlook her compositions, most of which were for the piano. She did, however, compose a number of songs, most of these while in her twenties.

Clara's compositional output fell off shortly after marrying Robert; however, after the Schumanns moved to Düsseldorf in early 1853, Clara finally lived in a house large enough to practice and compose without disturbing the terminally nervous Robert or her children. During that summer, she produced several works, among them the Sechs Lieder aus Jucunde (Six Songs from Jucunde) for voice and piano, Op. 23, which was published in 1855 or 1856 in Leipzig. Jucunde is a collection of poems by Hermann Rollett.

Wieck Schumann's settings of Rollett's texts are strikingly original, with unexpected harmonic shifts and melodic twists. "Was weinst du, Blümlein" (Why are you crying, little flower) begins with the voice, a bouncy melody over an independent accompaniment. Schumann differentiates musically between the first two lines of the verse, a question posed to the flower, and the second two lines, the flower's answer. This pattern continues through all three verses. The song is varied strophic, with a minor-mode shift at the beginning of the second verse.

Schumann organizes Rollett's "An einem lichten Morgen" (On a bright morning) in paired verses, creating an ABAB format. The repetition of the last two lines of each of the "B" verses, however, creates a two-part structure, with the same piano interlude occurring after each verse.

"Geheimes Flüstern" (Secret whispers), in contrast, is strophic. After a placid piano introduction featuring a pattern of outlined chords, the voice enters with an independent melody as the accompanimental pattern continues. The tune of the piano introduction recurs after each verse.

"Das ist ein Tag, der klingen mag" (That is a day that wants to ring) features a lively voice part, appropriate for the jubilation of nature described in the poem. Here we find Schumann indulging in some uncharacteristic word-painting: just before the final line of the first verse, "der Jäger bläst in's Horn" (The hunter blows it on his horn), the piano imitates a strident horn call. For the third line of the second verse, "Das Echo tönt" (The echo sounds), the piano part repeats a dotted gesture several times.

The final song of the set, "O Lust, o Lust" (O joy, o joy) has an abrupt accompaniment and, like "An einem lichten Morgen," is organized in pairs of verses. A piano interlude, drawn from the introduction, follows each verse, the last of which closes with the first two lines of the first verse, which Schumann repeats for a final cadence.

© All Music Guide