Novelletten (Schumann)

The eight Novelletten, op 21, a split into four books, dedicated to the pianist Adolph Henselt collection of character pieces for piano, Robert Schumann composed in close connection with the Kinderszenen, Op 15, and the Kreisleriana, Opus 16, in 1838 in Leipzig. By the term " Novelletten ", which was later used among others by Niels Wilhelm Gade, Mili Alexeyevich Balakirev, Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov and Francis Poulenc further, Schumann took on the literary genre of the novella reference (Italian novel letta = short story ). The pieces should, like Schumann explained in a letter, " larger contiguous adventurous stories " tell ". Enjoyment exemplary, Egmontgeschichten, family scenes with fathers, a wedding, just extremely amiable - and the whole Novelletten called " Some of the contents of these stories has Schumann on various occasions by preceding Motti detail provides: the Intermezzo of Novellette No. 3 was provided for about a preprint in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik with a quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth. The Novelette No. 2 Schumann joined on another occasion with verses from Goethe's West -Eastern Divan.

As an immediate reason for the naming Schumann's encounter with the English singer Clara Novello may apply which toured in the winter 1837/38 in Leipzig, and by their impressive concert performances, as well as by their names relationship with Clara Wieck caught the attention of the composer. His fiancee said Schumann, the pieces were given the name Novelletten, " because you called Clara and Wiecketten does not sound good ."

Compositional technique is distinguished Schumann Novelletten - as well as the same time incurred Kreisleriana - by a novel for its time freedom in dealing with traditional shapes. The three-part ABA form ( with a contrasting middle section ) remains the basis ( very clear about the Novelletten Nos. 1 and 2 ), but is increasingly augmented by a " narrative " Impetus, modified and sometimes even completely broken (as in the final part of the Novelette No. 8).