Schumann culled the poems of the Sechs Gedichte, Op. 36, from Robert Reinick's Liederbuch eines Malers (A Painter's Song Book). Four of the six songs were composed in June 1840, the other two later the same year. Published in 1842 by Schuberth, the Sechs Gedichte, Op. 36, is dedicated to Frau Dr. Livia Frege.

Reinick's poetry is far less incisive and deep than Heinrich Heine's, whose verses Schumann had set in the Dichterliebe only a month earlier. This relative shallowness may account for some of the lackluster settings found in the 6 Gedichte, for Schumann's music faithfully illustrates Reinick's poetry. Also, the large-scale key structure of the set is less directed than those of the composer's other song cycles.

In Sonntags am Rhein (Sundays on the Rhine) the narrator reminisces about strolling along the Rhine on Sunday mornings watching the boats, hearing the organ from the nearby church, looking at the fortress on the mountain, and seeing the reflection of the "fatherland" in the waters. Schumann's constant, unrelenting eighth note motion becomes tedious, although it does suit the unchanging meter of the poem.

Ständchen (Serenade) evokes the sound of guitar music in the triplets of the left hand and the broken chords of the right. The melody is assured and stepwise, taking on the nervous character of recitative at "Liebchen, liebchen, drum eil' auch du!" (Sweetheart that's why you, too, hurry). Schumann sets the first two verses to the same music, but writes a more active melody for the third, reflecting the serenader's anticipation of being with his lover.

Like Sonntags am Rhein, Nichts Schöneres (Nothing More Beautiful) is repetitive. It does, however, boast more interesting harmonic material, including some harsh major sevenths in the middle of the piece as G major and its dominant sound together while the narrator recalls marrying the most beautiful sight he has ever seen.

In An den Sonnenschein (To the Sunshine), the narrator reproaches the sun for awakening feelings of love in his heart and making visible a beautiful world he cannot enjoy. Throughout the conservative, varied strophic setting, Schumann remains in A major and provides an accompaniment that follows the voice part nearly note for note.

Schumann directs the performers to begin Dichters Genesung (Poet's Convalescence) somewhat slowly and to gradually become more lively until the end. As the "Elf-queen" beckons the sick and dying poet to a blissful death, only to see him recover and stay on Earth with another beloved, Schumann vacillates between the opening key of G major and E major, in which he closes the song. The lengthy Liebesbotschaft (Message of Love) contains a soaring melody, with which the narrator sends his hopes on clouds. Schumann's setting is filled with arching tunes and a transparent accompaniment that traces the vocal line.

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2.Ständchen

Robert Schumann intentionally avoided complicated devices when he composed the light, simple, and tender "Ständchen," Op. 36/2 (Serenade) in 1840. Based on a poem by Reinick, the music modestly fills this invitation into the quiet night with intimacy and amor. The upward sixteenth-note triplets in the left hand of the piano and the plucked chords in the right suggest the serenader's strings. Originally composed in G major, a repeat in the middle of the work precedes the vocalist's leaps in the latter half. Schumann wisely omitted Reinick's last two verses because of their clumsy and forced rhythms, allowing the song to be very concise. Surprisingly enough, this Romantic little tune is infrequently performed, but is one of the better known works of Sechs Gedichte, Op. 36.

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6.Liebesbotschaft

Written in the summer of 1840, the closing song of Sechs Gedichte, Op. 36, "Liebesbotschaft," Op. 36/6 (A Lover's Message), is one of Robert Schumann's finest adagio melodies. Its text, by Reinick, details one lovestruck man's requests to the clouds to carry a message of faithful adoration to his beloved. Schumann similarly used this song to communicate his affection to his fiancée, Clara Wieck, who was temporarily separated from him while obstacles surrounding their engagement cleared. Reinforcing their complementary styles and personalities, he borrowed a portion of her "Liebeszauber," Op. 13, to close "Liebesbotschaft," giving it the finest ending in the volume. Even though the latter Ruhig, innig (tranquil, heartfelt) work was written for voice, its accompaniment can easily stand alone as a Romance in F for piano solo.

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