Blumenstück (Schumann)

''Blumenstück'' (''Flower Piece'') in D-flat, Op. 19, is a piano work by Robert Schumann, written in 1839. ''Blumenstück'' is a series of short, connected and thematically related episodes,Classical Archives
/ref> of which the second forms a recurring refrain while undergoing changes in both key and mood. It is considered to reflect the amorous human activities with which flowers are associated, rather than as depictions of flowers themselves. The piece takes between six and seven minutes to play.

''Blumenstück'' was written in Vienna in January 1839; its companion piece, the '' Arabeske in C'', Op. 18, was written in December 1838. Other works written around this time were the '' Humoreske'', Op. 20, and the final movement of the Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22. Schumann wrote that he composed the ''Arabeske'' and ''Blumenstück'' "hoping to elevate myself to the front rank of favourite composers of the women of Vienna." In his letter of 15 August 1839 to Ernst Becker, Schumann dismissed both works as simply delicate salon pieces fit only for ladies to play; however, they both contain great beauty and are full of intimate charm."Blumenstück Op.19"
Éditions Henry Lemoine. His intended fiancee Clara Wieck was in Paris, but Schumann stayed in Vienna to compose and write for the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, for which he had moved to Vienna from Leipzig. The two pieces were published simultaneously in August 1839, although not as a set. However, in a letter of 11 August 1839 to Henriette Voigt, Schumann seems to regard them as a pair of works, as he described them together as "less important than the ''Humoreske''".

Both works were dedicated to Majorin Friederike Serre auf Maxen, the wife of Major Anton Serre, who together lent Schumann great encouragement in his romance with Clara Wieck, John Daverio, ''Robert Schumann''
/ref> despite being close friends of her father Friedrich Wieck, who was implacably opposed to the marriage.

''Blumenstück'' features a falling four-note motif that Schumann had previously used to refer to Clara Wieck in '' Carnaval'', Op. 9. Rather than in his manuscript book, Schumann sketched ''Blumenstück'' in his Brautbuch; it was offered, along with the song cycle '' Myrthen'', Op. 25, of 1840, as a bridal gift.

In a letter to Clara on 24 January 1839, Schumann wrote that he had recently completed a number of small piano pieces, with the titles:
* ''Guirlande'' ("variations, but not on a theme";Eric Frederick Jensen, Robert Schumann
/ref> this could be a mistranslation of "but not on one theme", meaning "but not on a ''single'' theme")
* ''Rondolette'', and
* "other small things, of which I have so many, and which I shall chain together prettily under the title ''Kleine Blumenstücke'', much like one might name a series of pictures".
The ''Blumenstück'' is in the form of a double theme and variations, and the ''Arabeske'' is in rondo form. It is unclear whether the first two titles refer to works that are now lost or whether they are the original titles of ''Blumenstück'' and the ''Arabeske'' respectively.Naxos
/ref>Nicholas Marston, ''Schumann, Fantasie, Op. 17'': Notes to pages 59-85: 5 Schlegel's leiser Ton and Thematic Unity in the Fantasie: Note 7
/ref> It has also been suggested that both these works were originally meant to be included in the otherwise unidentified ''Kleine Blumenstücke''.

References

External links

*
* ; Piano Soloist: Cyprien Katsaris
* ; performed by Jean-Baptiste Fonlupt

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenstuck (Schumann)
Piano music by Robert Schumann
Compositions for solo piano
1839 compositions
Compositions in D-flat major