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In1850 Robe r

tSc humanna cceptedt heDi r


ectorOfMu sicpositi
oni nthet ownofDü sse
ldorf
si
tuatedint hel owerv all
eyoft heRhi ner ive
r.I twa sthefirstti
meSc huma nnhadl i
ved
outs
ideo fhi sna t
iveSa xony,a nds hor t
lya ft
erhisa r
rivalhes ettowor konne wc ompositi
ons.
Thes ce
neryoft heRhi ner i
veri nspir
ed t he3r dSymphony(he nceitsnickna me)a ndwi th
charact
eris
t i
cs wift
nessSc humannwr otet hewor kina boutamont h,from e a
r l
yNov embert o
earl
yDe cembe rof1 850.Sc huma nnc ondu ctedthepremiereoft hes ymphonyi nDü ss
eldorf
earl
yi n1851 .Therei ssomec onf u
s i
onc onc er
ningthenu mberi
ngofSc humann' s4 symphonies,
asthe3r di sac t
uall
yt helastonec ompos ed.Wha tisnow k nowna st he4t hSy mphonywa s
writ
teni n1 841bu twa swi t
hdra wnbySc huma nnaft
erapoorr ecepti
on.Sc hu manndidn't
ret
urnt ot hiswi t
hdrawns ymphonyu nt i
l1851whi chwa sa f
terthe' Rhenis
h'ha dbeen
publ
ished.The3r dSy mphony' Rhe ni
sh'i si nfivemovements:

I.Lebhaft- T her hyt


hmi cfi
r stthemebe ginsthewo rkinE- f
lata
ndi tscha racterhasbe en
compa redtoBe et
hov e
n'sope ningthemeofhi s3rdSy mphonyI nE-fl
at'Er oica'
. As hor
t
themea ctsa sat ra ns
iti
ont ot hesecondmor elyr
icalthe
met hatismos t
lyc a
rriedbyt he
winds.Ast hes ec
ondt hemec onti
nues,itisi nt
erru
ptedbyf ragme
ntsoft hef i
rstthemeu nti
lit
takesov e
r.T hee xposit
ionisnotr epeat
ed.T helongde vel
opmentsec
tionc onc e
rnsi t
sel
fwi t
h
thet woma i
nt heme sandt hes horttransi
tionthemeoft hee x
posi
ti
on.Sc hu mannmodu l
atesto
otherk ey
swi thoutr et
urningt othehomek eyofE- f
latunti
lthecl
imaxt hatl eadstot he
recapit
ulat
ion.T het hemesr e
pe at
,t hefirstthemedo minat
esthecodaa ndt hemov emente nds.

II
.Sc he
rzo:Se hrmä ßi
g- Wr itt
eni nt hek e
yofCma jorandcall
edas c
herz
o,i tismo rein
thes pir
itofaGe r
ma nLändler
.Sc hu ma nnoriginall
ya ddedtheti
tl
e' Mor ningOnT heRhi ne't
o
themov e
me ntbutremovedi t
.T he l ändlerisint wos ecti
onsandisr epeatedbeforeat rio
sect
ioni nA mi norisplayed.Throughou tthee ntir
es hortmovementthe r
ei sanu nderl
ying,
gentl
yr oll
ingqu al
it
yt othemu si
c,pe rhapsreve a
lingitsdebttother oll
ingwa t
ersoft he
Rhine.Af terthetri
os ec
tionthel ändlerr e
appea rsandi ssli
ght
lyvari
e d,a nditleadstoa
gentl
ee nding.

I
II
.Nichts
chne
ll-A l
yri
cal
,shor
tint
erl
udei
nA-
fla
tma
jort
hatl
endsaf
ew mome
ntsof
c
almne
sstothesy
mphony
.

IV.F ei
erli
ch-T radit
ionha si tthatt hi
smov ementwa sins pi
r e
dbySc hu mann'sv isi
ttothe
CologneCa thedralwhe rehewi t
ne ss
edt hei nst
a l
lati
onoft heAr chbishopofCol ogne.Whe t
her
thi
si st ru
eora pocryphali smoot .Sc humannor i
gina ll
yt itle
dt hismov eme nt' I
nt hecharac
ter
ofa na ccompanime nttoas olemnc ere
mony ',s oitma ybeac as eofwha tSc huma nnadmitte
d
concernini
gs omeofhi sot herwor kswi thtitl
es;t ha thec ompos edt hemu sicf i
rsta ndthet i
tl
e
wasi nspire
dbyt hemu si
c.Al loft hisdoesn'tde tractf rom t hebe a uti
esoft hemu sicofthi
s
mov ement,pe rhapsSc huma nn'sbe stworkf oror che str
a.Wr it
teni nE- f
latmi nor,themu si
c
beginswi t
hal oudc horda ndpr oceedsinas olemnt one.T rombone st hatha vebe enwa i
ti
ng
sil
entl
yt hepr evi
oust hreemov e
me ntsma ket heire ntrancea nda ddt ot hes olemnpr ogr
essi
on
ast hemu sicmov est owardsane wtheme ,ac horale.T hec omple xit
yi ncreasesa sthemu si
c
ma kesitswa yt oa ne ndi
ngt hatleadsdi r
ec t
lytot hel a
s tmov eme nt.

V.Lebhaf
t- T hemusicma kesa nabruptchangeinke y(backtoE-fla
tma j
or)a ndmo oda s
twothemesarepa r
adedt hrou
ght heor che
stra.A t
hemef r
om thepre
c edi
ngmov ementa ppears
andistrans
formedfrom itsformers ol
emnitytooneofbr i
ghtne
ss.Schuma nnrou
ndsof ft he
workwithas hortref
erencetot hethemet hatbega
nt hesymphony
,a ndt heworkpr oc
ee dsto
endwithchordsinthehomek ey.

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