SCHUMANN
(Robert Schumann: born in Zwickau, Saxony, June 8, 1810; died in Endenich, near Bonn, July 29, 1856)
SYMPHONY No. 1, IN B-FLAT MAJOR ["SPRING">[: Op. 38
- Andante un poco maestoso; Allegro molto vivace
- Larghetto
- Scherzo: Molto vivace
- Finale: Allegro animato e grazioso
Although Schumann never publicly avowed it, the inspiration for this symphony sprang from a poem by Adolph Böttger (1815-1870), O Geist der Wolke. The music was composed early in 1841. In October of the following year Schumann sent a portrait of himself to his friend Böttger, accompanied by an inscription consisting of the opening phrase of the symphony in notation, and the words: "Beginning of a symphony inspired by a poem of Adolph Böttger. To the poet, in remembrance of Robert Schumann."
The verses of Böttger have been translated (in prose) as follows:
"Thou Spirit of the Cloud, murky and heavy, fliest with menace over land and sea; thy gray veil covers in a moment the clear eye of heaven; thy mist seethes up from afar, and Night hides the Star of Love. Thou Spirit of the Cloud, murky and damp, how thou hast frightened away all my happiness, how thou dost call tears to my face and shadows into the light of my soul! O turn, O turn thy course—In the valley blooms the spring!"
The crux of this poem, and the key to an understanding of the mood of Schumann's music, lies in the concluding line: