Short but remarkably vivid, "Die beiden Grenadiere," Op. 49/1 (The Two Grenadiers), from Romanzen und Balladen II, Op. 49, is one of Robert Schumann's most famous songs. Its text is derived from Heine's Die Grenadiere, which details his witness in Düsseldorf to the return of the French prisoners of war from Russia. It is a narrative account of a grenadier's confession of dedication to his captured Emperor. After Schumann's "Taucher" and "Einsamkeit" were criticized for containing too many characters, a complicated plot, and, like "Belsatzar," an abundance of musical motifs, the composer chose to limit himself to a single theme in "Die beiden Grenadiere." This decision, paired with the song's rich musical expression, gave it an uncommon edge. Its form is through-composed and its patterns are lyrically developed, strophic and marchlike. Schumann was fond of the "Marseillaise," the French national anthem, and included it near the end of the song to invoke a sense of victory. However, after a recollection of the grenadier's promise to offer defense beyond the grave, the piano postlude somberly closes the work. Even though Wagner's setting of the French version of the same poem won him royal accolade, his use of the "Marseillaise," also in the finale, was not nearly as distinguished as Schumann's.

© All Music Guide

###

Short but remarkably vivid, "Die beiden Grenadiere," Op. 49/1 (The Two Grenadiers), from Romanzen und Balladen II, Op. 49, is one of Robert Schumann's most famous songs. Its text is derived from Heine's Die Grenadiere, which details his witness in Düsseldorf to the return of the French prisoners of war from Russia. It is a narrative account of a grenadier's confession of dedication to his captured Emperor. After Schumann's "Taucher" and "Einsamkeit" were criticized for containing too many characters, a complicated plot, and, like "Belsatzar," an abundance of musical motifs, the composer chose to limit himself to a single theme in "Die beiden Grenadiere." This decision, paired with the song's rich musical expression, gave it an uncommon edge. Its form is through-composed and its patterns are lyrically developed, strophic and marchlike. Schumann was fond of the "Marseillaise," the French national anthem, and included it near the end of the song to invoke a sense of victory. However, after a recollection of the grenadier's promise to offer defense beyond the grave, the piano postlude somberly closes the work. Even though Wagner's setting of the French version of the same poem won him royal accolade, his use of the "Marseillaise," also in the finale, was not nearly as distinguished as Schumann's.

© All Music Guide

Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.