Born in Germany, Robert Schumann (1810-1856) was one of the leading forces of the Romantic movement, which emphasized imagination and feeling, in contrast to the primacy of reason that was prized in the Enlightenment era. Initially he composed almost exclusively for the piano creating what he called Poetic Music – the fusing of literary ideas sourced from his life, imagined characters, or existing works and music. His piano sonatas acknowledge his deep respect for Beethoven and the Viennese traditions, while also exhibiting his own approach to story telling. In a letter from 1838, he wrote “I no longer think about form when I compose; I create it.”
Schumann’s Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op.22 (1833 – 1838), is an impetuous, passionate work, with moments of melting melodic contrast. Among his three sonatas, the variety and virtuosity of Schumann’s writing continues to be admired and enjoyed – by both performers and audiences – and is heard frequently in performances and recordings.
Schumann wrote this piece for a young Clara Wieck, who was to be his future wife. The two first met when she was but 12 years old, a child prodigy who would become an esteemed concert artist and composer. “I love the sonata just as I love you; it expresses your whole being with such clarity, and at the same time’s not too incomprehensible”, wrote Clara from a letter of March 3, 1838. Indeed, Schumann took great care in composing the sonata, revising it several times over a period of years. The first and third movements date to 1833, and he based the second movement on ‘Im Herbste’, a love song he wrote at the age of 21. The final movement had originally been completed in 1835, but Schumann revised it at Clara’s request into one of less difficulty in 1838. After what was a complicated courtship – and compositional history – the work was finally published in 1839, and the two were married in 1840.
The first movement is symphonic in it’s varied textures – a sweeping sonata-allegro form with accompanying waves of 16th note patterns. The descending primary motif is contrasted with a lyrical subordinate theme. The second movement, marked Andantino:Getragen (Solemn) is a song that rises from initial inwardness town emotional outburst. The piano writing evokes the human voice. The plagal cadence at the end of the slow movement leads into a short Scherzo, which alternates an insistent theme with transient moments of lightness. The finale, an infernal Rondo, depicts two alternative fates – hell and heaven – and culminates in a Prestissimo marked Immer schneller und schneller (faster and faster).
I selected this sonata to be included on my first solo disc, World Keys, and I invite you to check it out. I’ve also provided a link to a beautiful rendition of Im Herbste, as it was originally conceived.