1840 was Schumann's lieder year, producing the majority of his vocal masterworks in an amazingly short period of time, and while he kept writing lieder almost until the day he died, very few of the works written after that year have been considered as even nearly as well-written and effective as their predecessors. In addition, two of the texts, Der Gartner and Die Spinnerin, were later used by Wolf and Brahms respectively, in considerably better-known and somewhat superior settings, and so Schumann's settings, despite their appeal, are shadowed by their successors. Admittedly, there are some discrepancies between settings and text; in Im Wald, for example, the piano theme, with its daintily tripping motif, seems almost more appropriate to Der Gartner's depiction of the princess on her horse.

However, each of these songs does display enough skill and insight to remind the listener that while they may be weaker than the 1840 works, they are still worthy of attention. The songs that depict betrayed (the first two and the fourth) or hopeless (the third) love are filled with a gently poignant resignation. The first is particularly vivid, portraying as it does numbed grief and loss, culminating in mental breakdown: a reminder that it during this period that Schumann's mental decline was becoming apparent, and that later he himself was to attempt suicide by drowning. Throughout the last song, there is a conflict between the meters of the piano and the voice, playing out the struggle between despair and hope, and possibly the struggle in Schumann between life and death. As in all the songs, the tone is hushed and uncomplaining, and if the set becomes somewhat repetitive, the individual songs themselves are still lovely, and the cumulative effect, especially when considering how they reflect Schumann's troubled last years, is deeply moving.

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Possibly implying the pattering of angels' feet, the beat of an anxious heart, or even the twinkling of stars, the accompaniment of "Abendlied," Op. 107/6 (Evening Song), is filled with endless legato triplets, which are mainly quarter notes. Above, the vocal line floats gently with optional high notes at the close of each of the two strophic verses, and with a few grace notes. Between the two parts, Schumann created contrast through rhythm, and consistency through the echo of the vocal melody in the piano. Regardless of the sorrow of the protagonist's heart, nature has it that all will be well, as explained by Kinkel's words, which Schumann altered slightly for this setting. In the three-measure postlude, the pitch of the triplets lowers gradually until it is entirely in the bass, forming one thick, final chord. The composer indicated that the shifting pedal should be used where appropriate.

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