1.Die Löwenbraut

The first work of Drei Gesänge, Op. 31, "Die Löwenbraut," Op. 31/1 (The Lion's Bride), is a violent love triangle containing approximately three sections and is one of Robert Schumann's longer songs for solo voice. Based on a poem by Chamisso, the work was written in the archaic, slow "CC" time-signature, its form based on the cantatas of Zumsteeg and Schubert, and its musical material kept relatively simple for clarity of action. The opening section is both passionate and solemn, similar to the closing, and uses octaves in the bass to signify the lion's mighty movements. From there, the maiden and tender lion recall their childhood friendship, signified by 41 bars of slow reminiscences. Emotions heighten when she gives a farewell kiss and leaves to join her beau; the lion's roars of protest resound in the piano part, its chromatic contrary motion representative of his fateful movements. Ultimately the woman is slashed apart by the jealous lion, who in turn is shot through the heart by the her fiancé. In the dominant seventh, the last note of the vocal line is followed by a long silence, then returns to a few characteristics of the opening section.

The response to "Die Löwenbraut" and its historical influence have been equally interesting. Schumann was believed to have been attracted to the text based on resemblances he found between the lion and his father-in-law, Friedrich Wieck. Critics of the composer's day claimed he failed to musically match the poem's emotional depth, but their assertions have since been debunked on account of his innovative use of the piano to represent the fury of the beast. A section of the song was used in "Der Handshuch," Op. 87, during its mention of cats, and the subject of complex attractions between three parties cynically reappeared in "Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen," Op. 48/11. Although slightly unrealistic, the song is regarded as one of Schumann's more disturbing works.

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2.Die Kartenlegerin

Composed as a ballad in the form of a monologue, "Die Kartenlegerin," Op. 31/2 (The Fortuneteller) (originally "Les cartes ou l'horoscope"), from Drei Gesänge, Op. 31, is considered one of Robert Schumann's happiest and longest songs. With text by Chamisso, the composer used a slow 2/8, matching the sense of the poem and the movement of the verse, to describe a sneaky girl who tucks away her sewing and scrambles for her fortune cards the minute her pious mother falls asleep. Brief staccato chords open the work, evoking the sounds of woodwinds; lush, sinister lines are later heard alongside many playful piano phrases. The character is best performed by a mezzo soprano or alto and her emotions are skillfully varied in each bar, demanding facile articulation. Schumann later reused the contrary motion of the work in the first movement of his Symphony No. 1, in B flat major, "Spring", Op. 38 (1841).

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