June 8 - Robert Schumann (The Musical Birthday Series)

The colorful life of Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856) is somewhat loosely celebrated below in four slightly improbable limericks.

Vier Lieder im Limerickstyl

Wieckness

When Robert admitted to share a

Permanent passion with Clara,

Her dad, Friedrich Wieck,

Shouted out in a pique,

“Ach, nimmer, young man, quest’è guerra!”

Lieder Crisis

Herr Schumann, excising a song,

Had sensed the proportions were wrong.

A nice Liederkreis

Should be direct and concise,

And this one had gotten too long.

Die glückliche Hand

Said Schumann, in pain, “It’s my hand! It

Didn’t pan out as I planned it.

My finger technique

Was certainly weak,

But I shouldn’t have tried to expand it.

Florestan or Eusebius?

The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik

Came out, more or less, twice a week,

And Schumann (disguised)

Chastised and advised

With a bipolar brand of critique.

(If you enjoy these posts, please consider sharing. I would appreciate the traffic.)