THE SURVEY OF ROBERT SCHUMANN: HIS ARTISTRY IN THE CONTEXT OF 19TH CENTURY MUSIC

YOO, HYUN HANNA

THE SURVEY OF ROBERT SCHUMANN: HIS ARTISTRY IN THE CONTEXT OF 19TH CENTURY MUSIC

dc.contributor.advisor	SALNESS, DAVID	en_US
dc.contributor.author	YOO, HYUN HANNA	en_US
dc.contributor.department	Music	en_US
dc.contributor.publisher	Digital Repository at the University of Maryland	en_US
dc.contributor.publisher	University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)	en_US
dc.date.accessioned	2006-02-04T07:19:40Z
dc.date.available	2006-02-04T07:19:40Z
dc.date.issued	2005-12-02	en_US
dc.description.abstract	Despite the controversies over the criticisms of his works, Robert Schumann (1810-1856) continues to be held universally in high esteem, possessing a distinctive, appealing, and unique artistic voice. This trait of Schumann led me to study and perform his works, including his three violin sonatas and fantasy. For my research I studied Schumann's life and works especially in the context of 19th century music. I also researched the impact his wife Clara Schumann had on Schumann as a composer, as well as sound recordings and the various criticisms over his works. For my first recital, I performed the sonatas of Carl Maria von Weber and Franz Schubert and the "Kreutzer" sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. The 1st recital was planned with the deliberate intention to introduce the setting of the 19th century of which Schumann was a contemporary, and therefore chose composers by whom Schumann was deeply affected, namely Schubert and Beethoven. My second and the third recital were wholly devoted to Robert Schumann including his violin sonatas and fantasy, surveying his unique artistry. Idiosyncratic or even quirky compositional attributes, which some critics describe as flaws, can also be viewed as essential to Schumann's music, but at the same time, pose surmountable challenge for today's performers. Following my preparation for this dissertation, I concluded that the strangeness in Schumann's music is an asset, not a liability. His impulsive and sometimes obsessive elements in his music do not overwhelm his soul-touching romanticism, with their poignant expression of emotion, beauty and excitement. One must admit that it is a challenge to comprehend Schumann's works to its finest details. Unlike Beethoven's or Mozart's music in which everything appears to be laid out on the table for performers to comprehend, Schumann's music does not seem to provide that much information on the surface. However, learning and performing his works promise to be an arduous, yet worthy treasure-hunting experience.	en_US
dc.format.extent	63480 bytes
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/1903/3165
dc.language.iso	en_US
dc.rights	NOTICE: Recordings accompanying this record are available only to University of Maryland College Park faculty, staff, and students and cannot be reproduced, copied, distributed or performed publicly by any means without prior permission of the copyright holder.
dc.subject.pqcontrolled	Music	en_US
dc.title	THE SURVEY OF ROBERT SCHUMANN: HIS ARTISTRY IN THE CONTEXT OF 19TH CENTURY MUSIC	en_US
dc.type	Dissertation	en_US