By winter 1851, Robert Schumann's health, both mental and physical, was in a serious state of deterioration. He had been suffering from aural hallucinations, vertigo, hypochondria, and a host of other ailments for several years. In 1850, the Schumanns moved from the cosmopolitan city of Dresden to the more provincial town of Dusseldorf. Here, Schumann had at his disposal an orchestra and chorus, and he began to compose large-scale works for both. Among his pieces for orchestra is a group of three concert overtures. The first, Braut von Messina, Op. 100, was inspired by Schiller's classical tragedy Die Braut von Messina. The second was based on the Shakespeare tragedy Julius Caesar. The final overture was inspired by an epic poem of Goethe, one of Schumann's favorite poets. Called "Hermann und Dorothea," the poem concerns the tragic fate of two lovers during the French Revolution. The overture, sketched within a few days during December 1851, takes the theme from the Marseillaise and passes it between groups of instruments while attempting to capture some of the spirit of the Goethe original. Unfortunately, most of the works of this period show some evidence of Schumann's failing mental state and are not on a par with his earlier music.

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