Robert Schumann... Best Composer Ever?

Walking in his footsteps, it's up to me to look at his manuscript paper with a critical eye! I plead with the readers to rid themselves of any notions they have surrounding classical music. Everyone's heard of Debussy or Beethoven. Both of whom, wrote a piano piece that has remained forever present within the classical music community. Transcendental or... overrated? Fur Elise and Clair De Lune have been wrung dry of all possible emotions that they can provide. Unless you're an infant, you have no business keeping these songs within your playlists. In my opinion, credit can be given to Beethoven and his Fur Elise, because of its emotional exuberance and his proper usage of form. While Clair De Lune is an exceptional piano piece, its shortcomings are apparent in its length and its abhorrent usage in media. If you would like a great Debussy piano piece then click here. Golliwog's Cakewalk is a personal favorite and it's even better when you know he wrote it as a diss to Richard Wagner. Both pieces have become, in my opinion, dry and have long fallen out of the current zeitgeist. Let me introduce you to the king of piano suites, Robert Schumann.

An enigmatic composer inhabited by two personalities. Eusebius and Florestan were his yin and yang when it came to creating pieces. Eusebius his romantic side and Florestan his grounded logician. I will mostly be covering his Carnaval piano suite as it is my favorite out of all of them. Carnaval is about a masquerade party surrounding individuals he knew and characters he created that are in attendance. They are profile pieces if you will. Since I'm not a musician, I can't properly look at these pieces through a critical lens so I will only be talking about how they make me feel. Schumann has littered this piece with an aura of mysticality that I've never seen any other composer replicate. Arcane and engrossing only come shy of describing what this piece is capable of. It's a puzzle that slowly unravels and builds as you continue to venture within his notes. Schumann invites you to attend this party as he introduces you to each delightful character that you will have the pleasure of listening to. Emotional exuberance cannot explain how these songs will have you yearning for more and more. Sensual, seductive, and stimulating, this is what flows through my body as I accept the messages being conveyed. Conflict. Solution. Conflict. Solution. Notes that begin unresolved unwind to delight your ears. How, you might ask? (Track 8) A flirtatious coquette spots you at the party and she teases you nonstop with her lovely looks and alluring feel. Why do you torture me with your teasing? I might die should I not be given the ability to respond. (Track 9) A response, will you listen to me as I entertain your childish antics? Within these two tracks, Schumann develops a motif for the coquette that is characteristic of her personality. The magic only just begins, as well as the party. (Track 11) Your gaze locks eyes with a woman of ungodly refinement. Stare, as her eyes slit your soul up like a razor, up and down you can only imagine what lies beneath those garbs. This track is perhaps my favorite of the whole suite. I'd rather not get into the details since I believe the music speaks for itself. But if you are curious about what I have to say about it, then check my other blog post where I went into detail about this song. One thing to note about this suite is that it is not always grounded in an otherworldly feeling. It gives the listener a little bit of everything but each song has an ethereal feel to it that only Schumann can provide.

I have droned on for far too long. Far too long for your attention spans to endure. This suite spans under 24 minutes, so you could say it's short and sweet. Perfect for the average listener on this platform who cannot focus on something for more than 30 minutes. I've really wanted to make a classical music post that I could be somewhat proud of, so I hope that those who read will take my thoughts into consideration. Being a picky listener, I'm so glad to have been introduced to this piece because I would not be the individual I am today without it.