Published in October 1840 by Kistner, Myrthen, Op. 25, is dedicated to the composer's wife, Clara Schumann. Myrthen, or myrtles, are European evergreen shrubs with white or rosy flowers that are often used to make bridal wreaths. The 26 poems included were presented to Clara on the occasion of their wedding.

Unlike Dichterliebe of Frauenliebe und -leben, the texts of Myrthen are not by a single poet. Among them are eight poems in translation by Robert Burns (1759-96), five by Friedrich Rückert (1788-1866), and three each by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) and Heinrich Heine (1797-1856). The remaining seven are by Lord Byron, Thomas Moore, J. Mosen, and Catherine Fanshawe.

In the Myrthen collection of songs we find a clear contrast between Schumann's two musical personalities, "Florestan" and "Eusebius." Those in the "Florestan" style have a lively, confident character especially evident in Freisinn, Niemand, and the Hochländer lieder. Eusebius' more contemplative mood comes through in Mein Herz ist schwer and Was will die einsame Träne? Schumann also confronts numerous other emotions associated with love and marriage, such as devotion (Lied der Saleika and the two Lied der Braut), maternity (Im Westen, Hochländiches Wiegenlied), loneliness (Die Hochländer Witwe, Weit, weit) and bravery (Hauptmanns Weib). A few special gems are worth discussing in detail.

Heine's Du bist wie eine Blume (You are like a flower) receives Schumann's most ceremonial treatment. Set in A flat major, a key associated with wedding ceremonies, the song's repeated chords provide a stately foundation for the free, almost recitative-like declamation of the brief text. A flat major is also important as the key of the first and last songs of the collection.

Schumann confronts longing and separation in two of the songs, Der Nussbaum by Mosen, and Aus den östlichen Rosen by Rückert. Der Nussbaum is notable particularly for Schumann's integration of the piano part into the overall rhetoric of the song. The opening piano measures later become both the completions of vocal phrases and, before "Sie flüstern von einem Mägdlein," the beginning of the phrase. In both songs the piano depicts leaves fluttering in the wind—In Der Nussbaum with constant arpeggios, in Aus den östlichen Rosen, with a rapid, quiet twisting figure—while supporting a delicate, narrow-ranged voice part.

Schumann's setting of Byron's Rätsel is especially clever. The poem describes something without saying what it is. At the end is the question, "What is it?" Byron's answer is "a breeze," rendered in German as "Hauch." Schumann, however, omits this word from the text, leaving the piano to play the final note, a B natural—an "H" in German.

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1.Widmung

Robert Schumann's "Widmung" ("Dedication") opens his song-cycle Myrthen (‘Myrtles'), which was appropriately named after the blossoms traditionally associated with marriage festivals, as it was his wedding present to his bride, Clara Wieck. He began composing songs as a means of proving his financial stability as a future husband, and in "Widmung", as was the case with all his compositions of this genre, he deeply expressed his most heart-felt emotions; passion and devotion, fears and longing, frustration and suffering from their separation, and the hopes and dreams of their life together. He began the cycle in the early part of 1840, finishing it in April, well ahead of his self-established September deadline. When complete, "Widmung" and its accompanying poems were lavishly bound with a red velvet inscription, which affectionately read "To my beloved bride." The song-cycle also contained the composition "Zum Schluss" ("‘In Conclusion'"), that together with "Widmung" made up the two Lieder der Braut (‘The Bride's Songs), which form the most passionate outpouring in Myrthen.



"Widmung" was one of five songs in Myrthen with texts from the poems of Friedrich Rückert. When Schumann became captivated by Rückert's mastery of the rhythmic and technical aspects of poetry, he temporarily turned away from setting Heine's writings. Schumann was at ease with Rückert's words as they were slightly easier to set to music than those of the other poet. In "Widmung", Schumann confessed all of the things Wieck was to him; his peace, angel, repose, rapture, heart, soul, grave for sorrows, better self and his heaven. In this carefully balanced arrangement of text and music, he revealed the depth of his engagement as a poet-musician. This spirited song contains a few devices which reappeared in his later works, including sweeping keyboard passages and the haunting enharmonic progression (A flat major to E flat major) to the central section. He altered the text by repeating the final verse, and these last measures contain a thoughtful instrumental effect, which eclipses the text and introduces a new motif. The work contains the tempo marking "Innig, Lebhaft 3/2," and is often sung too slowly. The pattern of the accompaniment, rising and falling, reappeared in "Helft mir, ihr Schwestern Op. 42/5" and the melody was paraphrased in the heroine's song of "Die Löwenbraut Op. 31/1". "Widmung" was performed on several occasions throughout Schumann's life, once with his "Das Paradies und die Peri Op. 50" and another time with his Symphony in B flat major, at a benefit concert on March 31, 1841. The depth of the song had a widespread acceptance and effect, and in France, in 1849, Franz Liszt paved the way for Schumann's influence, with a publication of "Widmung", for solo piano. Only 40 of Schumann's 150 solo songs are still commonly heard in recital halls; popular among vocalists at all levels, "Widmung" is included in that first number, as one of the composer's most adored songs.

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2.Freisinn

The air of confidence, liveliness, and independence of "Freisinn," Op. 25/2 (Free Spirit) reflects a surge in Robert Schumann's musical, emotional, and social growth during the year the work was composed, 1840. It is one of five songs from the Myrthen volume that are taken from Goethe's West-östlicher-Divan, which is modeled on the fourteenth century Persian poet Hafiz. The short, delightful tune is a celebration of the saddle and stars that textually shows the poet's domestic side and musically illustrates the composer's occasional enjoyment of playful themes. Nestled between "Widmung," Op. 25/1, and "Der Nussbaum," Op. 25/3, it strikingly contrasts the majority of the other works in the song cycle. Written as a sturdy, highly spirited foursquare it is characterized by a prance-like dotted rhythm that reverberates through each aspect of the song, with the exception of the straight chords. Even though "Freisinn" is virtually a self-sufficient piano piece, its playful lyrics, "Just let me show what I can do in the saddle!...I ride joyously into the boundless distance," make it a charming work for voice.

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3.Der Nussbaum

Robert Schumann's "Der Nussbaum" (The Nut Tree) comes from the song cycle he gave to his bride on their wedding day, named after the traditional bridal finery, Myrthens (Myrtles). Schumann wrote this song in 1840 and it marked a radical turning point in his career, as shortly after this piece was composed, he seized upon the poetic word with a passion, producing more than half his solo songs that year. It is one of four flower-like songs contained in the cycle; others include "Die Lotusblume," "Du bist wie eine Blume," and "Aus den östlichen Rosen." "Der Nussbaum" is a diaphanous setting of one of Mosen's poems, in which a meditative melody is shared between the piano and voice. The text tenderly tells of the whispers and caresses shared by two nut tree blossoms, revealing a certain maiden's dreams of a bridegroom; nearby a girl listens, drifting gently into reverie.

"Der Nussbaum" has several strengths, including an intimate interconnection of the voice and piano parts, as evidenced in the way the piano supplies the second half of the first vocal phrase, wherever it occurs. Schumann again shows his proficiency to link the two instruments in "Aus meinen Tränen sprießen," Op. 48/2, where the piano is sometimes left to complete the vocal line, and in "Weh, wie zornig ist das Mädchen," Op. 138/7, where the two parts are literally inseparable. Furthermore, in "Der Nussbaum," the vocal part frequently follows the piano in a "wholly quiet manner," which refuses to surrender its lead, even for a moment. Here, the composer insists upon technical expertise from the pianist, as also required for the performance of "Aufträge," Op. 77/5. Schumann applies the piano technique of descriptive figuration in "Der Nussbaum" to create the ethereal texture of its dreamy setting, by using rolling arpeggios that suggest the "gentle breezes" wafting through the nut tree's rustling leaves. When this composition was complete, Schumann sent a copy to his fiancée, Clara Wieck, with a note that read, "Sing this quietly and simply, just as you are." In the work, where occasional departures in text may make look like transcription inaccuracies, Schumann has given himself the liberty to separate some of the verses, which impede the flow of the line, to allow the music's dreamlike quality to emanate. For example, he replaced "Blätter" (leaves) for "Äste" (branches) to offer a more vivid description of the tree. Even though the choice created an unsatisfactory word repetition, when Clara Schumann edited his collected works, she left his preference as it was. "Der Nussbaum" has been regarded as one of Schumann's finest and most popular songs and can easily be found in reputable collections of vocal compositions. During the couple's 1846 - 1847 season stay in Vienna, at one of Clara Schumann's performances, this piece was sung by Jenny Lind. The sold-out event, which paid the Schumanns' way back to Dresden, was quite memorable, as is the delicate "Der Nussbaum."

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7.Die Lotosblume

Even though the poet's texts were at times challenging to set to music, in 1840 Robert Schumann used three of Heine's poems in his song-cycle Myrthen (Myrtles), two of which were based on flowers, the other on a lone tear. The first of Heine's poems to appear in the cycle is "Die Lotusblume" (‘The Lotus Flower'), which Schumann made into a delicate and sustained tune. The words tell of a precious gentle flower that, fearing the sun, unveils herself only to her paramour, the moon. The tenderness and passion of the amorous poem helped to make the song one of Schumann's most famous. All of the romantic songs of the set, which speak about fulfilled love, are thought to be references to the composer's fiance, Clara Wieck, to whom he gave a copy of the work in September of that year, in celebration of their wedlock.



Demanding only a moderate range, "Die Lotusblume" can be sung by any voice type, making it is a popular recital piece, especially among soprano voices. The basic diatonicism of the melody is touched by a hint of chromaticism, projecting a subtle tension between its contrasting affects. One of the most effective ways that Schumann created the mood of the poem was through the use of the piano, which takes a most beautiful plunge from C major into the remote, luminous key of A flat major to evoke the moonrise implied by the words "Der Mond, der ist ihr Buhle" (‘The moon is her paramour.') There has been some question of the composer's ability to interpret the text, as the continuity of the vocal line is broken by rests. This argument collapses upon discovering that a non-traditional use of the text was intended by Schumann. The song was put into print in 1840 by Kistner and later revised for male voices under the same title, in the work Sechs Lieder, which was published in 1842 by Schuberth and dedicated to Karl Stein. The piece has been recorded numerous times by Diedrich Fischer-Dieskau for Deutsche Grammophon and a 1932 performance given by Lotte Lehmann was released by Nimbus in 1993.

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8.Talismane

Nestled between the famous "Die Lotusblume Op. 25/7" and "Lied der Suleika Op. 25/9", in Robert Schumann's song-cycle Myrthen Op. 25 (Myrtles), is the profound, declamatory "Talismane Op. 25/7" (‘Talismans'), its text by Goethe. The piece was composed in the spring of 1840, Schumann's famous "Song year." The text is like a very simple prayer and it states "God is Orient and Occident. His name is justice. In all things, let God be my right guide." These glorious words announce the poet's revelation at having discovered a grandiose power that is "able to set me straight" and offer guidance "whenever I compose." To create his desired sequence of lines, Schumann collected three separate, short groups of aphorisms and combined them together, repeating the opening verse, following it with the third poem, adding a repetition of the first verse, and finally repeating the "Amen" from the second. He used this concept again in "Zigeunerliedchen I Op. 79/7", which is a combination of several of Geibel's four-line verses. Characteristics of "Talismane" reappeared in the motet of Vier doppelchörige Gesänge Op. 141 and in the confusing, intertwining, restless style of the piano's opening measures in "Zwielicht Op. 39/10".



Among 25 poems about nature and fulfilled love in Myrthen, "Talismane" is the only song in the cycle that addresses the subject of God so directly. As Schumann was not much of a religious man, it leaves one to question where this composition fits in among the other songs. Although he described himself as "religious, but without religion" or dogmas, his behavior could lead one to think otherwise. During the early 1850s, while writing four choral-orchestral ballads about life, death and memory, he took on the storytelling and ecclesiastical personas of these works. So realistic were his embodiments of these personalities that, during his Düsseldorf years, he wore black so frequently, that he was often mistaken as a member of the clergy. Furthermore, his sacred compositions, such as the Mass and Requiem, reflect his paradoxical beliefs, as they were intended for use in both church service and concert halls. Therefore, it is most probable that the subject of "Talismane" was not the primary factor in Schumann's choice of the poem, rather, he was consciously avoiding the poet's love lyrics, which had already been set by Schubert, among others. Of the other three Goethe poems that he included in Myrthen, the first was about liberty and the other two were drinking songs. Even though Schumann may not have been drawn to compose "Talismane" as a deep expression of his beliefs, the work became a part of a religious ceremony, a wedding, when he presented a copy to his wife, Clara Schumann, in celebration of their matrimonial union.

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9.Lied der Suleika

The irony of the only setting of a romantic poem by Goethe to appear in Robert Schumann's Myrthen, Op. 25, "Lied der Suleika," Op. 25/9 (Suleika's Song), was its incorrect attribution to the poet. The words are actually a response from the actress Marianna von Willemer to Goethe's "Abglanz," a correspondence which surely enlivened their affair and assured her of their closeness despite distance. This luxurious, lushly harmonized song, written in A major, is filled with much pedal activity, many ritardandos, and frequent turns, which appeared in a similar fashion in "Er, der Herrlichste von allen," Op. 42/2. Opening with the same arpeggio figure heard earlier in "Widmung," Op. 25/1, this five-part song is primarily made of two double verses that contain text repetitions where melodically appropriate. The somewhat slow work becomes gradually faster in a few areas and its dragging voice part gains energy from the piano, which are both characterized by graceful, flowing lines of passionate chromaticism.

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13.Hochlanders Abschied

Preparing for a journey elsewhere, the protagonist of "Hochländers Abschied," Op. 25/13 (Highlander's Farewell), makes his departure by first expressing his love for the greenery and animals of the mountains, to which he is eternally connected. This energetic and sincere work draws its text from one of Burns' poems that also became a beloved folk song of a different tune in Scotland. The setting is rather simple as the vocal line is supported by the piano's octaves and fifths; however, its light dotted eighth notes do demand careful artistry. The melody of the first verse is heard twice, as indicated by a repeat, and the intensity of the opening mellows in the center section when the key changes from D major to B major for 16 measures. Of the eight Burns poems set in Robert Schumann's Myrthen, Op. 25, this work is the second of three that elaborates on a highlander's life.

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15.Aus den hebraischen Gesangen

Although Robert Schumann combined multiple works of several poets in his song-cycle Myrthen, including those of Rückert, Heine, Goethe and Burns, in this composition, he musically set only one of Byron's poems, "Aus den Hebräischen Gesängen" (‘From the Hebraic Psalms'). The literature, which was originally translated by Theodor Körner, recalls Thomas Moore's Irish Melodies and was partially inspired by the poet's Jewish encounters during his 1809 travels to the Orient with his friend Hobhouse. Throughout his career, Schumann was highly influenced by Byron, and in this particular song he drew from his writing to create an illustration of Oriental melancholy, which embodied a romantic, dreamlike feeling of "foreign lands and peoples." The composer's interest in the East became more focused and affectionate, further developed, and slightly altered, later in the cycle, when it appeared in "Aus den östlichen Rosen Op. 25/25".



In "Aus den Hebräischen Gesängen", Schumann successfully composed a charming melody and lucidly expressed each note. In the context of the cycle, it is an unusually dark, disturbing piece, full of sorrow and mysticism, which recalls the composer's depressive tendencies. (He dreaded death and madness, was afraid of heights and sharp objects, and experienced bouts of intense elation, alternating with black depression.) For the most part, he remained close to the original text, however, similar to his setting of Mosen's poetry in "Der Nussbaum", he occasionally replaced words to better express his sentiments. In the opening line of "Aus den Hebräischen Gesängen", he changed, "The heart" to "My heart," then continued, "is dark," further expressing the depth of his illness. The poem speaks of welled up emotions that are intense enough to burn his brain and burst his heart, but the music of a heavenly harp offers gentle hope of health and relief. The text of this piece is definitely a departure from the gentle flower-like lyrics of his most beloved songs of the cycle, "Die Lotusblume Op. 25/7" and "Du bist wie eine Blume Op. 25/24".



"Aus den Hebräischen Gesängen" opens with an assaultively agonizing vocal line, requiring a heavy voice capable of mastering its challenging interpretation. The piano accompaniment independently spins ominous chromatic phrases, then joins the voice in a duet, each following their own part in counterpoint. The piano's sweeping arpeggios and richly complicated figures parallel those found in the works of Chopin, demanding a highly accomplished pianist. Even though "Aus den Hebräischen Gesängen" is not one of Myrthen's main highlights, nor, is it one of the most well recorded songs in the cycle, its words and melodies are quite memorable.

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17.Venetianische Lied 1 ('Leis rudern hier')

Based on German adaptations by Freiligrath of Moore's poems, "Venetianische Lied I & II," Op. 25/17 and 18, are the third set of songs paired together by their subject matter in Myrthen, Op. 25 (the others are "Lieder," Op. 25/5 and 6, and "Lieder der Braut," Op. 25/11 and 12). The first of the two songs, "Leis' rudern hier," Op. 25/17 (Row Gently Here), tells of a man's journey down a canal with his trusty gondolier; together they steal toward a woman's inviting balcony. Robert Schumann altered the text, creating two well-aligned identical verses, each concluding with a fermata and pedal application. Mysterious and strict, the whisper-like voice part, always maintained at either piano or pianissimo, glides atop the piano's undulating counterpoint figure that signifies the drifting of the gondola. The graceful interaction of the two parts vividly depicts the harmonious movements of the men in the twilight. The work is immediately followed in the cycle by "Wenn durch die Piazzetta die Abendluft weht," Op. 25/18, which contains only a few of the same musical features.

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18.Venetianische Lied 2 ('Wenn durch die Piazzetta die Abendluft weht')

Similar in theme and somewhat of a continuation to "Leis' rudern hier," Op. 25/17, "Wenn durch die Piazzetta die Abendluft weht" (When Through the Piazetta) (the second "Venetianische Lied" of the cycle), Op. 25/18, illustrates a gondolier's arrival at his lover's residence, where he extends an invitation into the twilight and his boat. Freiligrath's adaptation of Moore's text received an adventurous setting by Schumann despite its mood of romantic anticipation. With more pedal action than the previous tune, it is both "Munter" (lively) and "zart" (soft), yet is essentially devoid of dynamic markings in the vocal line; only a few ritardandos and implied portamentos were added. The solo is best suited for male voices and its delightful accompaniment is used to express the protagonist's movements. A repeat of the first verse creates the second and both are followed by the same bustling postlude, which shares minor similarities with the opening prelude.

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24.Du bist wie eine Blume

Based on the most frequently set verse in the German language, the innocent "Du bist wie eine Blume," Op. 25/24 (You Are Like a Flower), is another of Robert Schumann's fervent songs that uses flower imagery as a metaphor of his fiancée, Clara Wieck. Hardly sentimental, its obeisant, melancholic mood touches on the realistic, decaying influence of the world on a maiden's fairness and purity. This slow rich work is primarily made of beamed sixteenth notes and its final measure contains a triplet grace note like that of "Morgens steh' ich auf und frage," Op. 24/1. Aside from requiring vocal restraint to perform its ritardandos as slowly and quietly as indicated, sensitivity should be applied to the other grace notes and to the double meaning of the words' sounds. Considered one of Schumann's finest songs, he followed it with "Aus den östlichen Rosen," Op. 25/25, which is also based on an intimate flower poem, by Rückert.

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25.Aus den ostlichen Rosen

"Aus den östlischen Rosen" (Roses from the East), Op. 25/25, is the fourth of five tunes in Robert Schuman's Myrthen, Op. 25, song cycle to derive its text from the poetry of Rückert. The rhythm of this song and its romantic text help to make it one of the most tender works in the Myrthen cycle. In addition, it is the composer's first significant musical encounter with the Orient, which at that time represented the unfamiliar and romantic. In the cycle's eighth song, a slight reference to this part of the world is made in the opening line of "Talismane," Op. 25/8, which begins "God is in the Orient!"; however, it elaborates on God, not the East.

"Aus den östlischen Rosen" is a sustained, delicate Eastern song, suitable for all voices, with an evanescent, fluttering accompaniment, containing fragrant moments of melody. It is similar to "Der Nussbaum," as the piano part in each work is momentarily emancipated to create a springtime image of either rose or nut tree leaves. Like all other romantic songs in Myrthen, it is an affectionate address from Schumann to his fiancée, Clara Wieck. In the composition, he established a connection with her that distance could not impair, and that brought light into his world when she thought of him. To his love "with eyes full of light," he sent an amorous greeting, "like the fragrance of roses," and "the caress of springtime." On the song cycle, he expressed to her, "While I was composing them I was quite lost in thoughts of you. If I were not engaged to such a girl I could not write such music." The experience was so joyous he confessed that he "laughed and cried with delight" as he processed his feelings for her, and in "Aus den östlischen Rosen," he inscribed, "In anticipation of Clara." He was patiently awaiting their wedding, which Wieck's father continuously attempted to thwart, on the grounds that he found Schumann and his financial situation far too unstable for his daughter. The song was composed in 1840, while Schumann was waiting for permission from the courts to consecrate their union; they received approval in July of that year, and were wed two months later.

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26.Zum Schluss

In the dedication and text of the simple, pleasant song, "Zum Schluß Op. 25/26", written in 1840, Robert Schumann expressed his immortal commitment and connection to his bride to be, Clara Wieck. With words by Rückert, the composer promised that one day they would be free from this "stifling, earthbound atmosphere, where melancholy distills drop by drop," when they are "accepted in heaven above," where "God's son will welcome us." It is a slow and sustained work, suitable for all voices, in which the singer announces that he has "plaited this imperfect wreath for you, my sister, my bride," and that it will be made perfect by their love. This song must have had greater significance to its dedicatee with the passing of time, as she outlived her husband by forty years.



"Zum Schluß" is not only a pleasant, expressive song, but in addition, its key and subject matter are two of the most significant factors that prove that it and the other 25 pieces that form Myrthen (Myrtles), actually do constitute a song-cycle. Critics have argued that the work was more of an ‘anthology' than a cycle, however, Schumann did refer to it as such, in a note to his publisher, Kistner. Being capable of distinguishing between collections and song-cycles was a requirement that he achieved to extensively cultivate the latter genre, thus, his opinion on the matter is of great value. Confirming his point, "Zum Schluß" completes a frame around Myrthen that was initiated by "Widmung Op. 25/1", the opening song, as they are both written in the key of A flat. In addition, because of their common subject, devoted love and faithful commitment, they are frequently referred to as Lieder der Braut (‘The Bride's Songs'), a connection that positions these two compositions as bookends for the other 24 songs. Without these two links, Myrthen would have to rely on its few loosely related motifs, that occur throughout the piece, to bind it as a cycle. Therefore, even though Schumann did not include the word "Liedercycle" in the title of Myrthen (probably omitted for marketing strategies and for contemporary performance practices), the key and subject matter of the unadorned and fair "Zum Schluß", helped to show that it did, in fact, fit into this genre.

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