Introduction

This is Liszt's piano solo arrangement of "Widmung" (Dedication), the first song from Robert Schumann's song cycle Myrthen, Op. 25.

The original piece was composed to an untitled poem by Rückert, which consists of two stanzas, each comprising six lines.

The Poem

Du meine Seele, du mein Herz,

Du meine Wonn', o du mein Schmerz,

Du meine Welt, in der ich lebe,

Mein Himmel du, darein ich schwebe,

O du mein Grab, in das hinab

Ich ewig meinen Kummer Gab!

Du bist die Ruh, du bist der Frieden,

Du bist vom Himmel mir beschieden.

Dass du mich liebst, macht mich mir wert,

Dein Blick hat mich vor mir verklart,

Du hebst mich liebend über mich,

Mein guter Geist, mein bress'res Ich!

English Translation:

You are my soul, you are my heart,

You are my joy, oh you my pain,

You are my world, in which I live,

My heaven, into which I soar,

Oh you my grave, into which

I eternally cast my sorrow!

You are my rest, you are my peace,

You are bestowed upon me from heaven.

That you love me makes me worthy to myself,

Your gaze has transfigured me before myself,

You lovingly lift me above myself,

My good spirit, my better self!

(Translated by Fumoto Shida, from Schumann Lieder: Complete Parallel Texts, Ongaku no Tomo Sha)

Schumann's Original Composition

The poem rhymes in an AABBCC pattern, but frequent accent shifts at the beginning of lines, characteristic of iambic meter, occur. Schumann sensitively responded to these shifts in his vocal melody composition.

Another prominent feature of the entire poem is the overwhelming presence of the "D" sound (e.g., "Du" (you), "Dein" (your), as well as effective use of definite articles like "Der" and "Das").

Furthermore, to structure the piece in three parts, Schumann repeated the first stanza after the second stanza and replaced the last line with the final line of the second stanza.

He composed the first stanza in A-flat major and began the second stanza in E major (an enharmonic reinterpretation of the VI degree of the parallel minor). This modulation, reinterpreting A-flat as G-sharp and E-flat as D-sharp, returns to A-flat major in the last two lines of the second stanza, preparing for the recapitulation of the opening.

While the first and third sections are primarily characterized by eighth-note and dotted rhythms in the accompaniment, the second section is based on quarter-note triplets. The vocal melody in the first section is rhythmic and features many leaps, whereas in the second section, note values are longer, and stepwise motion is frequently used, even giving it a sacred character. This might correspond to the lyrical content, such as "Ruh’" (rest) and "Frieden" (peace).

Musical settings corresponding to the words of the lyrics are frequently observed in the first section, composed for the first stanza. For example:

• A minor triad (borrowed chord from the parallel minor) is assigned to "Schmerz" (pain).
• A diminished seventh chord (a dominant ninth chord with omitted root, borrowed from the parallel minor) is assigned to "Grab" (grave).
• Furthermore, the melodic line for "Ewig" (eternally) is constructed so that while the phonetic accent of the word is on "E-", "-wig" is emphasized. Harmonically, a dominant seventh chord of the subdominant (IV) resolving to a major triad (IV) is applied to "E-", whereas a diminished triad (II from the parallel minor) is applied to "-wig".

Liszt's Arrangement

In arranging this song for solo piano, Liszt first expanded the prelude from one measure to three.

He then doubled the 12-measure first section of the song by repeating the same melody in the inner voice and further inserted a 5-measure postlude. This expansion serves as a preparation to magnificently adorn the end of the third section, which is the recapitulation.

While the original piece transitions seamlessly into the second section, Liszt modified it to include a pause before entering the second section, thereby emphasizing the tonal distance and timbral differences.

In the transition from the second to the third section, he inserted a one-measure arpeggio, achieving an even more fantastical expression.

In the third section, the vocal melody is placed in the inner voice, and the accompaniment figure transforms into sixteenth-note arpeggios.

In the latter half of the third section, supported by the quarter-note triplet accompaniment figure used in the second section, the main melody transforms and repeats magnificently at fff, converging into a coda similar to the original. However, here too, the music is extended by about one measure, and while the final chord in the original is placed on the second beat (weak beat), Liszt shifts it to the first beat (strong beat).