german   FRANZ    VORRABER ABOUT SCHUMANN

WHAT IS MOST FASCINATING
ABOUT SCHUMANN’S MUSIC
IS ITS DETAILED EXPRESSION
OF THE FINEST DIFFERENCES IN EMOTIONAL STATES.
THE MUSICAL POET SCHUMANN
ALLOWS HIS LYRICAL LINES TO SING FREELY,
OFTEN ABANDONING THE CONVENTIONS OF RHYTHMIC EMPHASIS,
AND SO OPENS NEW DIMENSIONS OF PHRASING.
HE DIFFERENTIATES WITH EXQUISITE FANTASY
BETWEEN THE DIRECTION AND LENGTH OF A PHRASE,
AND SUGGESTS THEREBY A GESTURE OR EVEN A DIALOGUE.
HE LEARNED THE ART OF VOICE-LEADING THROUGH HIS STUDIES OF
J. S. BACH, HIS FAVORITE COMPOSER.
SCHUMANN HIMSELF USES POLYPHONY AS A POET WOULD,
AS A FORM OF POETIC PUNCTUATION,
SEEMINGLY FREE,
BUT FOLLOWING A LOGICAL SYSTEM OF COMMUNICATION AND EXPRESSION:
“ACTUALLY, IT IS UNUSUAL THE WAY I INVENT THINGS ALMOST CONTRAPUNTALLY,
AND WHEN I SING THROUGH THE LINES AFTERWARDS
I DISCOVER THE RETROGRESSIONS, REVERSED RHYTHMS, ETC..
MY MUSIC APPEARS TO ME  TO BE SO WONDERFULLY INTRICATE,
EVEN IN ITS SIMPLICITY,
JUST AS IT COMES FROM MY HEART...”
HE ADMIRED THE POET JEAN PAUL
FOR HIS USE OF LANGUAGE
THAT ACQUIRED A LIFE OF ITS OWN,
AND AWAKENED MUSICAL ASSOCIATIONS.
HE ALSO SHARED THE POET’S  LOVE OF TWILIGHT,
WITH ITS SENSE OF PREMONITION AND FREE FLIGHT OF FANTASY.
IN HIS PIANO WORKS,
SCHUMANN CREATES THESE SENSATIONS
BY HIS EXTRAORDINARY USE OF THE PEDAL,
HIGHLIGHTING NUANCES OF MODULATION AND PHRASING.
AS A WHOLE, SCHUMANN’S PIANO WORKS ARE NOT EASILY CATEGORIZED.
EACH WORK FINDS ITS OWN VOICE,
ITS OWN PATH,
INDEPENDANT OF THE OTHER WORKS,
WHETHER IT BE A SONATA, A FUGUE, OR A THEME AND VARIATIONS.
“MUSIC IS THE LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL...
THE MORE THE INDIVIDUAL PICTURES IN THE MUSIC APPEAR TO THE LISTENER,
THE MORE IMMORTAL THE MUSIC,
AND NEW AT EACH LISTENING.”

I INVITE YOU TO SHARE WITH ME
THE COMPLEXITY AND RICHNESS OF HIS MUSIC.

FRANZ VORRABER.

                                                           Translation: William Melton