Schumann
- Piano Quintet Op. 44
This page was last
edited on 16/01/06
Hear
the music (Go to this site and find Repertoire/Schumann.
Movements 1 to 3 are there in Real Audio)
Topics To Research
Features of the Romantic style
(then return to this page)
Romanticism
Schumann - style, works, influence
Romantic harmony
Chamber music in the 19th century
Bibliography
Grout (Old version) - pp. 574, 550-551, 560-563, 541-547,-580-581.
Cambridge Music Guide - pp. 307-315.
Music In The Romantic Era - Einstein.
Early Romantic Masters 1 - New Grove Biography.
Schumann - Master Musician Series.
Questions
1. Precisely identify one example of each of the following:-
-
a chord of the dominant 9th in root position.
-
a chromatic passing note in the piano part.
-
an inversion of the 'cello melody in b.79-80.
-
a diminished 7th chord over a pedal note.
-
an augmented 6th chord
-
an example of syncopation
-
an example of contrary motion
2. Which features help to identify that this is a piece of Romantic music?
(See 'answer')
3. Analyse the harmony of bars 99-103.
4. Identify the different textures employed in this extract. How
do the parts relate to each other?
5. Describe Schumann's use of rhythm in this
extract.
(See 'answer')
Back to the top
|
Bar
|
Key
|
Chords
|
Texture and Comments
|
|
71
|
F major
|
Ic
|
Reiterated block chords in the piano. This rhythmic pattern will pervade much
of this extract.(C | CC where 'C' is a crotchet and '|' a barline
|
|
72
|
These bars(72-78) act as dominant preparation for B-flat major
|
V
7
|
73-78, although there
are
chords, the focus is on the octaves in the piano part. The rhythm and melodic
shape of the 2nd subject are pre-echoed .
|
|
73
|
I in strings treated as what will be the new V (of B-flat)
VII
7
of B flat in piano creating Major 9th chord (V9 of B flat)
|
|
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74
|
At 74
2
we have VII
7
of B-flat with chromatic appoggiatura at the top and upper auxiliary in the
lowest part.
|
74-76, Vln 2 and Vla syncopated chords help bridge the even 2-bar phrasing of
this passage.
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75
|
VII
7
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|
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76
|
As 74
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77
|
VII
7
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|
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78
|
At 78
2
we have Vb (of B-flat)
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79
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B-flat major.
(Pedal Bb)
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I. This is the 2nd subject of the sonata movement (in E flat), hence it is in
the dominant - B flat.
|
2nd subject in 'cello. Passage of dialogue (imitation) begins here.
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80
|
(pedal Bb)
|
I
|
Chromatic passing note in the 'cello and LH of piano.
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81
|
(pedal Bb)
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VIb
|
Appoggiatura in Vln 1 part. Vla. answers 'cello, by inverting the melody.
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82
|
(pedal Bb)
|
VIb. The Bb in the Right Hand is a preparation for the suspension struck in
the next bar.
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|
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83
|
(pedal C)
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II
7
C (supertonic pedal starts)
|
83-86 are a sequence of 79-82 (small changes)
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84
|
(pedal C)
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II7
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85
|
(pedal C)
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VIIb
|
|
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86
|
(pedal C)
|
VIIb
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|
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87
|
(pedal D)
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III
|
The pattern starts again (sequentially) but it is changed and extended...
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88
|
(pedal D)
|
III then at 88
2
the Diminished 7th over the D pedal takes the music to D minor
|
from 87
2
the string parts have combined into 4 parts.
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89
|
D minor
|
I (was old III)
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|
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90
|
C major
V of V (i.e. V of F)
|
V
7
c (in C major)
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|
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91
|
F major
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Ic
|
...the 'cello soars up to an 'A' and fragments of rhythm from the 2nd subject
are passed around.
|
|
92
|
F major
|
V7
|
|
|
93
|
F major
|
Ic
|
The 1st Vln and Vla also reach top 'A' having been in octaves since 91.
|
|
94
|
F major
|
V7
|
The contour of the 1st Vln and 'cello in conjunction are worthy of note. They
seem to produce 4ths which would sound awkward out of context. The violin 'A'
is an échappée whilst the 'cello low 'D' is an appoggiatura.
|
|
95
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Dominant of Bb major
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I in strings; same procedure as 73
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|
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96
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(Bb)
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As 74
|
Notice the rescoring in 96-97 when compared to the earlier bars nearer the
start of the extract.
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|
97
|
(Bb)
|
As 75 but bars 76-77 omitted
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|
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98
|
(Bb)
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As 78, Vb
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|
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99
|
B flat major
|
(99-101) Schumann starts to build up the chord of Ib of G-flat major one note
at a time. This means that the cadence we heard as a perfect one in B flat, is
treated as an inverted (i.e. one of the chords is not a root) interrupted
cadence. (Onto the chord of the flattened 6th as we find out in 101)
|
|
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100
|
Might suggest B-flat minor
|
This is why 2 notes cannot define a chord beyond doubt.
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Double-stopping in Vln 1
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101
|
(B-flat)
|
bVIb
|
Triple-stopping
|
|
102
|
(B-flat)
|
Schumann adds an 'E' to the G-flat chord creating an augmented 6th (German
6th). This ought to resolve onto Ic or V (of B-flat), but actually resolves
onto V
7
c of V (i.e. V
7
c of F at 102
2
.
|
|
|
103
|
B-flat
|
V
9
b of B-flat (a major 9th chord)
|
6 part string chord (
sf
)
|
|
104
|
(B-flat)
|
Essentially notes from V
9
b with E natural chromatic passing note.
|
The syncopation produced by the use of rests is a Schumanesque trait.
|
|
105
|
G minor (major)
|
This V
7
chord seems to be leading to G minor (VI of B-flat)
|
|
The Romantic elements are the lyrical melody, the chromatic harmony and the
quasi-contrapuntal textures.
The
harmonic
language includes triads in root position, 1st & 2nd inversion but also
7th and 9th chords as well as chords containing notes altered for colouristic
effect. For example the 80
4
where an augmented chords is produced by a chromatic passing note in the
'cello, doubled in the piano part. The way secondary triads are used in the
passage 79-88 marks this as a Romantic work. Note the appearance of chord III
at bar 87 and chord V
m9
of III (or VII
7
if you prefer) over a tonic (of III) pedal which is a Romantic feature.
Additionally, several chord progression do not resolve as one might expect.
The 2nd subject of a sonata form movement is usually in the dominant, in this
case B flat major. However, by bar 73 Schumann has reached F major (V of V).
While the strings have a perfect cadence there, the piano creates a Dominant
minor 9th which pulls the music back to B flat for bar 79.
The passage from bar 99-end of the extract is also significant. At 99 we are
not sure if we have heard a cadence in B flat major or minor, especially then
we hear a D flat in bar 100. By 101 any ambiguity of chord is removed when it
turns out to be the 1st inversion of the flattened 6th (G flat). [The use of
keys whose roots are a 3rd apart was a Romantic trait.] In 102 an 'E' is added
to this creating an augmented (German) 6th chord [much used in the period] but
it does not resolve onto V or Ic as expected, but onto V
7
c of V (F major) at 102
3
, and
then
onto the Dominant minor 9th heard on previous occasions. Only 2 bars later we
have V
7
of VI so, throughout the extract Schumann is quite prepared to take the
harmony in unexpected places. He also varies the harmonic rhythm. Harmony can
remain unchanged for a couple of bars (83-85) or change on each chord (102).
Harmonic subtlety is a characteristic of Schumann.
The melodic style is Romantic, particularly the use of chromatic passing notes
mentioned above. The melodic 'sigh' (79) of a falling 5th lends pathos to the
piece.
The way the instruments are used is significant. The left hand of the piano
is not always the lowest sound. The cello covers a large range and soars up to
a peak in bar 91 only to be at right down on bottom D by 94.
There are several kinds of texture in the space of this extract; string
homophony (72-73); dialogue (79-88); rhythmic counterpoint (91-94) and a thick
chord created with double stops at 103.
There are copious expression marks for dynamics as well as articulation,
accents and tempo changes. At 99 we find 'a tempo con fuoco', an indication of
the Romantic nature of the piece.
The excitement of the syncopation in bars 103-104 drives the music on in a very
different way to the motor rhythms of the Baroque period. The syncopations are
created not by weak-beat or off bear accentuation, but by replacing the strong
beats with silences; this is a Schumannesque fingerprint.
The overlapping phrases also keep up the momentum. Whilst rigid periodic
phrasing is typical of Schumann, he disguises it by dovetailing or overlapping
some phrases.
This music does not have the same kind of grace, elegance and control of much
'prim and proper' classical music. Whilst this is not to say it lacks finesse,
the expression found in the piece is of a more emotionally charged variety.
The music is clearly written for the kind of piano found in the Romantic period
which, in essence, would have resembled a modern piano capable of a wide range
of expression and a full bodied tone. The Classical fortepiano with its
leather hammers would not do justice to this music.
- Describe Schumann's use of rhythm in this example.
I take 'rhythm' to mean 'how the musical events occur in time' as well as the 'the unique combination of notes shorter or longer than, and equal to a beat'.
Points to mention:-
- The often heard 'Crotchet, (barline) crotchet, crotchet (rest)' rhythm in many bars, which keeps the momentum. However, this contrasts with bars which do not use this rhythm (e.g. 95-98)
- The dotted crotchet + quaver rhythm of the 2nd subject (bar 79) which is pre-echoed in bar 73. Note the way this is used in rhythmic counterpoint in bars 91-94.
- The use of the 2nd violin + viola in bars 74-75, tied across the barline to mask the periodic phrasing. The periodic phrasing itself ought to be mentioned) because it could, if used by another composer have broken the music into rhythmic chunks each of 2 bars. Schumann uses ploys to disguise this. (e.g. bars 79-81 where the 1st/2nd violins entering a bar after the 2nd subject, as well as the viola overlapping with the 'cello, keeps the music moving forward)
- Mention the unexpected change to longer more even note values from 99-103.
- Syncopation (103-104) created by the use of rests.
- You could mention harmonic rhythm.
- You might mention the way the dotted crotchet + quaver rhythm of the 2nd subject allows Schumann to employ notes which would be dissonant in bar 94; i.e. the échappée and 'cello appoggiatura.
- The extract closes with the appearance of quavers (105). If you have heard the work you could say what happens next.