Robert Schumann between Jean Paul and Goethe
Robert Schumann between Jean Paul and Goethe

Summary/Abstract: Robert Schumann is probably the first musician who considered musical composition as a form of literature writing. In his Lieder, and especially in his stage works (Genoveva, Manfred, Faust), his respect for the literary source – be it poetry, drama or novel – brings about a rare combination of fidelity and originality. On the other hand, this kind of approach was often underestimated in the history of music, and there are many critical voices that address Schumann’s lack of dramatic skills in his stage works. Some recent research on Schumann tries to place these works in another light. The composer avoids theatrical effects and tricks, displaying a rather austere personality and trying more to find appropriate musical solutions for Byron or Goethe than searching for easy successes. My intention is to present some examples regarding the links between Schumann and his favourite literary texts, starting with Jean Paul and E.T.A. Hoffmann, and ending with Goethe. This paper will therefore further the research I did on Schumann for the short monograph I wrote on this topic (Valentina Sandu-Dediu, Robert Schumann, Bucharest, Editura Didactică și Pedagogică, 2011).

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