Abstract
Following the 1848 European revolutions, Robert Schumann began a period of prolific composition. Among the pieces he composed for domestic spaces at this time are five opus numbers—Schön Hedwig, op. 106, Zwei Balladen, op. 122, Spanisches Liederspiel, op. 74, Minnespiel, op. 101, and Spanische Liebeslieder, op. 138—that transmit genres traditionally associated with theatre into domestic spaces: melodrama and Liederspiel. I gather these pieces under the designation “domestic dramatic vocal music,” reflecting their connections to theater and intended performance away from it. I argue that the most germane operating theoretical frameworks of these pieces are genre and the public/private dichotomy. In the first chapter of this dissertation, I discern Schumann’s understanding of genre and how he deployed it in his writing and music. The second chapter considers the public/private sphere dichotomy as it pertains to Schumann’s work, as well as its use in the field of musicology more broadly. The third through sixth chapters take these frameworks as groundwork for understanding the characteristic mechanisms of the composer’s work in this music. Chapters three and four are dedicated to relevant melodrama history and analysis of cultural contexts that resonate in Schumann’s melodramatic declamation ballads, opp. 106 and 122. Chapter five considers aspects of the Liederspiel genre from its invention in 1800 onward that pertain to Schumann’s pieces. This chapter also presents a picture of the genre during the second half of the century, yet understudied, with the argument that Schumann contributed to a living genre, not one he revived, as many scholars have explicitly or implicitly argued. Chapter six is dedicated to Schumann’s Liederspiele, opp. 74, 101 and 138, focusing on their significance to those close to the composer, their reception history, and close readings for cultural and nationalistic political resonances. In the epilogue, I argue that these pieces are among those that reflect Schumann’s perspective on the midcentury European revolutions, and particularly emphasize individual personal experience.