(''Songs of the Morning''), Op. 133, is a composition in five

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

for solo piano. A performance takes about 13 minutes. Composed in October 1853, it is one of Schumann's last

compositions Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

, composed three years before his death. By the time he began work on these pieces, he was suffering from mental and emotional decline. The set was composed just five months before Schumann's attempted suicide and confinement to a

mental institution A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with ...

. The set is dedicated to "the high poetess"

Bettina von Arnim Bettina von Arnim (born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano; 4 April 178520 January 1859) was a German writer and novelist. Bettina (or Bettine) Brentano was a writer, publisher, composer, singer, visual artist, an illustrator, patr ...

. Schumann's wife,

Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; ; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic music, Romantic era, she exerted her influence o ...

, wrote in her private diary, "dawn-songs, very original as always but hard to understand, their tone is so very strange." The Swiss composer

Heinz Holliger Heinz Robert Holliger (born 21 May 1939) is a Swiss composer, virtuoso oboist, and conductor. Celebrated for his versatility and technique, Holliger is among the most prominent oboists of his generation. His repertoire includes Baroque and Clas ...

wrote a work for orchestra, choir and tape in 1987 under the same title, ', which quoted Schumann and the German poet

Friedrich Hölderlin Johann Christian Friedrich Hölderlin (, ; ; 20 March 1770 – 7 June 1843) was a Germans, German poet and philosopher. Described by Norbert von Hellingrath as "the most German of Germans", Hölderlin was a key figure of German Romanticis ...

Movements

The five

are tonally organized by the three notes in the D

major triad In music theory, a major chord is a chord that has a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord comprises only these three notes, it is called a major triad. For example, the major triad built on C, called a C major triad, has pitch ...

: D, F-sharp, and A. The first, second, and fifth pieces are in D major; the fourth piece is in F-sharp minor; and the third piece is in A major. 1. (In a tranquil tempo,

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

) : The opening movement is like a

chorale A chorale is the name of several related musical forms originating in the music genre of the Lutheran chorale: * Hymn tune of a Lutheran hymn (e.g. the melody of " Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme"), or a tune in a similar format (e.g. one o ...

with rhythmic simplicity and a subdued, but rich texture. Many

dissonant In music, consonance and dissonance are categorizations of simultaneous or successive sounds. Within the Western tradition, some listeners associate consonance with sweetness, pleasantness, and acceptability, and dissonance with harshness, unple ...

intervals permeate the transparent texture. The main melody is heard in ''

stretto The Italian term ''stretto'' (plural: ''stretti'') has two distinct meanings in music: # In a fugue, ''stretto'' () is the imitation of the subject in close succession, so that the answer enters before the subject is completed.Apel, Willi, ed. ( ...

'' in the final two phrases. The entire movement has an almost religious sonority. 2. (Animated, not too quick, D major) : The movement is nearly entirely

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

. The composer avoids showing listeners where the tonic key is. 3. (Lively,

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

) : Probably the most virtuosic of the set, this movement has a constant, galloping rhythmic drive which continues throughout the piece. The

octave In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...

s and large chords contribute to the heavy sonority. 4. (With motion, F^♯ minor) : A melody is mixed with a cascading accompaniment of 32nd notes. The music is restless and becomes agitated in the climax. 5. (First tranquil, then moved tempo, D major) : The final piece returns to a similar character and sonority as the first movement. A quicker 16th note accompaniment emerges from the thin texture. The lack of a strong final cadence brings this enigmatic piece to an ambiguous, but beautiful close.

Recordings

Notes

External links

* * *, Frederic Bager *, Eric Le Sage {{DEFAULTSORT:Gesange der Fruhe Piano music by Robert Schumann 1853 compositions Music with dedications