Synopses & Reviews
Singing Schumann is likely to become the standard introduction to some of the best-loved songs in the singer's repertoire. Written by a distinguished performer and internationally known teacher, the book offers astute, practical advice for bringing Robert Schumann's Lieder to life in
performance.
Richard Miller guides the reader through the interpretation of all of Schumann's solo and duet songs, drawing thoroughly on Schumann's compositional style and its historical background. In addition to covering the "familiar forty"--the much-performed songs Schumann composed in and around 1840 while
trying to win the hand of Clara Wieck--Miller takes an in-depth look at the lesser known early and later songs. In particular, he focuses on the rich and varied repertoire of Schumann's later years, challenging the conventional view that these works reflect a decline in the composer's creative
powers.
Singing Schumann begins with an overview of Schumann as a song composer and then proceeds to survey the entire repertoire, song by song. It features the well-known cycles, including the Eichendorff Liederkreis, Frauenliebe und -leben, and Dichterliebe, as well as the Liederalbum fur die Jugend and
settings of texts by Goethe, Burns, Ruckert, and Kulmann. Using numerous musical examples, Miller uncovers Schumann's characteristic compositional devices and describes his novel and experimental approaches to the interpretation of texts, often achieved through exceptionally colorful keyboard
accompaniments.
Musically sensitive and eminently readable, Singing Schumann is an invaluable guide for teachers, coaches, pianists, and singers.
Review
"...he provides both a closely reasoned argument...and a deeply felt diary revealing a mature, intellectual, and passionate performer's and pedagogue's life experience with Schubert's songs....An important wake-up call for students of singing and for scholars who have not explored beyond the obvious masterworks of 1840, this book is a new classic, recommended for all academic and professional collections."--Choice
"Professor Miller's knowledge of this field is staggering. . . . I marvel at the author's ability to write clearly, engagingly, and often with humor." --William McIver, Professor of Voice, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
"Singing Schumann is a strikingly brilliant and remarkably enlightening work, skillfully conceived and lovingly written. Unquestionably the most important treatise on Schumann Lieder to emerge in nearly two decades, it is a masterful blending of keen insight and strong conviction." --Gary Arvin, Professor of Vocal Coaching and Repertoire, Indiana University School of Music
"...[an] invaluable study....As a keen-eared musical and literary critic, writing confidently yet undogmatically in lithe prose, Miller will be enjoyed every bit as much by the listener...as by the performer....[a] refreshing, demanding and often compelling study."--Hilary Finch, BBC Music
Synopsis
To restrict performance of the Schumann Lieder to the "familiar forty" is to deprive the singer and pianist of a major reservoir of superior song. Thus Singing Schumann not only takes an in-depth look at the widely performed middle and late Lieder, it also fully reconsiders the early songs. Offering the same readability and informed insights in this volume that distinguished his acclaimed On the Art of Singing (OUP 1996), Miller presents a practical manual to help singers and pianists bring Robert Schumann's Lieder to life in performance. He also provides cogent suggestions for interpretation of all of Schumann's solo and duet songs, useful pointers that are grounded in a thorough understanding of Schumann's compositional style and its full historical background.
About the Author
In addition to his long and distinguished performance career,
Richard Miller is internationally known for master classes in systematic vocal technique and artistic interpretation. He is Director and Professor at the Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center at Oberlin College, and has written several books and articles.
Table of Contents
Why This Book Was Written
1. Robert Schumann as Song Composer
2. Performance Practices in the Schumann Lieder
3. Liederkreis (Heine), Opus 24
4. Myrten, Opus 25
5. Kerner Lieder, Opus 35
6. Reinick Lieder, Opus 36
7. Rückert Lieder (Zwölf Gedichte aus "Liebesfrühling"), Opus 37
8. Liederkries (Eichendorff), Opus 39
9. Fünf Lieder (Andersen and Chamisso), Opus 40
10. Frauenliebe and -leben, (Chamisso), Opus 42
11. Dichterliebe (Heine), Opus 48
12. Opus 45 and Opus 57
13. Opus 53
14. Some Other Early Lieder: Opuses 27, 30, 31, 49
15. Opus 127 and Opus 142
16. Opus 51
17. Opus 64
18. Opus 77
19. Liederalbum für die Jugend, Opus 79
20. Opus 83 and Opus 87
21. Sechs Gesänge, Opus 89 (von der Neun), and Opus 90 (Lenau)
22. Drei Gesänge (Byron), Opus 95, and Opus 96
23. Lieder and Gesänge aus Wilhelm Meister (Goethe), Opus 98a
24. Sieben Lieder (Kulmann), Opus 104, Opus 107, and Vier Husarenlieder (Lenau), Opus 117
25. Opus 119, Opus 125, and Maria Stuart Lieder, Opus 135
26. Solos and Duets from the Ensemble Collections: Opuses 29, 34, 37, 43, 74, 78, 79, 101, 103, 112, 138
27. Provenzalisches Lied, #4, Ballade, #7, Opus 139, and Der Contrabandiste, Opus 74, App.