Dongsoo Cha 2 November 2018 MUS 512

Schumann’s Interpretation of Realization in Schöne Fremde

Schumann’s Schöne Fremde feels to be a very atmospheric composition; the poem that it

was based on is one of immense self-reflection and discovery. Before analyzing the piece and

trying to tie in the poem’s attributes to the piece’s characteristics, the poem itself provides many

hints to someone looking to transform the poem into a musical work.

Written in 3 stanzas, with a abab cdcd efef rhyme scheme, Eichendorff creates a scene

where the narrator personifies nature while themselves becoming a part of the nature. In other

words, the narrator ‘becomes one with nature’, as many people have experienced while going on

camping trips to isolated and beautiful locations. There is a sense of creeping realization at the

scope of the universe, starting with the eternal reference to the gods, and ending with the distance

of space, and the infinite future that is to come.

Harmonic analysis of the piece reveals that Schumann’s ending key of B major is very

noticeably avoided until the end of the third stanza. Schumann starts the piece with a D-sharp

minor harmony, moving to a ii7 (in this case v7/V) in second inversion at the end of the second

measure, tonicizing the F-sharp major. This continues until measure 16, where the right hand

progression outlining F sharp, F natural, and E transitions the second stanza into the third stanza,

but furthermore, hints at the dominant nature of the F-sharp major key with the E 7th becoming

included in the chord. This finally concludes with a I-V7-I from mm. 23-24. However, the piano

outro does not remain as confident and joyful, but rather pensive, with the inclusion of A major 7

9, intentionally clouding the triumphant intentions of B major. As previously mentioned, the

narrator experiences self-discovery by the end of the poem, which is highlighted by the harmonic

form, where the dominant is the tonic, or in the narrator’s case, reality, until the narrator realizes
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the scope of his/her existence in time and space, which is when the key successfully establishes

B major, the real tonic, as the real dominant.

Melodically speaking, the piece starts with very little introduction, and looking to the

second stanza, similar material appears, but in a descending pattern, with parallels between

measures 2-4 and 12-14. The ‘B’ section is firmly established with an altogether new melodic,

although similar rhythmic, material from measure 16. This is where the narrator feels nature

speaking back, at the moment of his/her realization. Dynamically, this is also where the piece

reaches its climax, with the continuing crescendo from piano at the end of measure 16 to the

Forte at measure 23. This reflects the difference between the somewhat uninvolved description

of murmuring trees, to the twilit splendor, and finally to the distance incoherently speaking to the

narrator. Each stanza brings a new dynamic, reflecting the narrator’s increasing consciousness of

the night.

Lastly, the length of the stanzas within the piece further enforce the idea of the narrator

becoming more attuned to nature. The beginning stanza is comprised of only 5 measures, with

only the first line of the stanza having 2 measures. Meanwhile, the later stanzas are 2+2+2+2.

Thus, Schumann uses structure, harmony, and melody in order to interpret for the listener

the narrator’s increasing awareness and consciousness of nature and the scope of time and space.