Schumann's third set of Romanzen und Balladen, Op. 53, was the last group of songs from his legendary "year of song" (1840) to be published. In the company of so many outstanding lieder, especially the song cycles Dichterliebe and Frauenliebe und -leben, the three (actually five) songs of Op. 53 have often been lost in the shuffle and are not especially familiar to listeners. But stylistically, poetically, and more importantly in their animating spirit, they are every bit as representative of Schumann the song composer. The best-known and most interesting song is the third, Der arme Peter (Poor Peter), which is actually three songs in one, and therefore a self-contained song cycle in miniature somewhat like Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte. It is often excerpted and performed on its own.

Although composed separately and to poems of three different authors, the Op. 53 songs are unified by the theme of devotion. The first song, Blondels Lied, is by the poet Johann Gabriel Seidl, and is the tale of a medieval minstrel keeping a vigil in song for his king. At times reminiscent of Auf einer Berg from the Op. 39 Liederkreis, and even Talismane from Myrthen, it is constructed around a repeated refrain of the text "Suche treu, so findest du!" (Seek in faith and you shall find!). Loreley is among Schumann's shortest songs and usually takes less than one minute to perform. But in that brief span it manages to capture the very spirit of Romantic poetry and song writing in its evocation of a ghostly moment—the disembodied refrain, "Remember me," mingling with the sounds of the sea. Finally, Heinrich Heine's Der arme Peter is the unfortunate tale of a young man driven to suicide by the loss of his love. He first sees her dancing with her new groom; then avoids her for fear of saddening her with his grief; and finally determines that the grave is where he most belongs. As is typical of both Schumann and Heine, Peter's sad tale is infused with enough irony to be both sad and humorous, but never sentimental.

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"Der arme Peter," Op. 53/3 (Poor Peter), accompanies "Blondel's Lied," Op. 53/1, and "Lorley," Op. 53/2, in Robert Schumann's Romanzen und Balladen III, Op. 53, and is by far the most depressing piece in the set. Written in 1840, with text by Heine, this morbid, little, seamless, three-part mini-drama focuses on one man's heartbreak and demise. Schumann collaborated on the poet's choice of meter, which was derived from the inflexible rhythm heard in dirges, but only in the effortless bagpipe tune from the first section, "Der Hans und die Grete" (Hans and Grete). Here, Peter is filled with anguish as he watches his adored Grete dance with her new groom, Hans, to a pair of preliminary chords that signify their delight. Instead of doing himself harm, Peter reveals his most heartfelt emotions in "In meiner Brust" (In My Breast), then retreats to the mountains to weep in solitude. The piano falls into dark, concentrated chords and the vocal part reaches its lowest part to mirror the character's intense emotions. In the final section, "Der arme Peter wankt vorbei" (Poor Peter Staggers By) Peter descends miserably out of the mountains into his grave, first confronting the mockery of the townspeople, emphasized by modulations. Ultimately a dirge accompanies Peter to his place of rest, the postlude indicates his burial and two sixth chords in G minor and D minor, followed by a mollifying D major chord, conclude this calamitous song.

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The legend of the Loreley, the river maiden who lured boatmen to their deaths from her rock on the Rhine, gained fame with Heine's poem "Die Lorelei." Although Robert Schumann was quite fond of and familiar with the poet's writings (he set them in Opp. 24, 25, 45, 48, and 49), when he chose to set a poem based on this legend, he selected the work of Wilhelmine Lorenz, probably because he was friends with her husband Oswald. Written in April 1840 for inclusion with "Blondel's Lied," Op. 53/1, and "Der arme Peter," Op. 53/3, in Romanzen und Balladen, Vol. III, Op. 53, the work was published five years later by Whistling. These 21 Zart, leicht (delicate, light) measures use nature as their driving force, depict waves that honor Schubert's influence, and create a feel for the pallid water through the use of cascading, sixteenth-note arpeggios in the right hand of the piano. One of the main characteristics of the composition was its use of the key of E minor, which was also used to signify the Loreley's dangerous seduction in "Waldesgespräch," Op. 39/3.

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