Meine Rose My Rose Nikolaus Lenau ( ) Set to music by Robert Schumann ( ) in 1850

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1 Meine Rose My Rose Nikolaus Lenau ( ) Set to music by Robert Schumann ( ) in 1850 Dem holden Lenzgeschmeide, A (7) Der Rose, meiner Freude, A (7) Die schon gebugt und blasser B (7) Vom heiβen Strahl der Sonnen, C (7) Reich ich den Becher Wasser B (7) Aus dunklem*, tiefern Bronnen. C (7) To spring s lovely jewel, to the rose, my delight, bowed and made paler by the suns torrid beam. I bring water in this beaker from the dark* deep well. Du Rose meines Herzens! D (7) Vom stillen Stral des Schmerzens D (7) Bist du gebeugt und blasser; B (7) Ich möchte dir zu Füβen, E (7) Wie deiser Blume Wasser, B (7) Still meine Seele gieβen! E (7) Könnt ich dann auch nicht sehen F (7) Dich freudig* auferstehen. F (7) You, rose of my heart, by pain s secret beam are you bowed and made paler; would I might at your feet, as water to this flower, silently pour forth my soul! Even though I might not then see you joyfully* rise again. *Added by Schumann *Added by Schumann

2 In Lenau s poem Meine Rose contains two stanza s with similar rhyme scheme and syllabic count; AABCBC with seven syllables per line with the exception of the last lines of each stanza which contain five syllables. The poem at first is troubling due to the rhyme scheme of the first two lines of each stanza, the speaker expects each couple to rhyme and is thrown off of the poetic meter in the fourth line because of it. But Lenau uses this scheme to open both stanzas and to end the third, which in some editions is set as it s own stanza. The poem reflects the object- subject relationship of North German poetry, where nature is presented in one stanza and then explained as a metaphor for the protagonist s yearning in the second. In the first stanza the protagonist brings a beaker of water to a wilting rose in the hopes of saving it s life, but Lenau s adjectives, torrid beams and dark well, turns this kind act into one with drama. In the second stanza the rose is depicted as the protagonist love, and the sun s torrid beams as the immense pain she is feeling. He then offers his soul to her, hoping that like water to the rose, it will resurrect her state of being. But the protagonist is aware that not even his love will help her as he states, I might not then joyfully see you rise again. The mournful and hopeless conclusion of Meine Rose can be seen in the life of it s poet, Nikolaus Lenau. Lenau lived a troubled life; though he was economically stable and received a full liberal arts education, studying law, philosophy, agriculture and medicine, he suffered from grave losses in his family and his love life (McKim). At a young age Lenau lost his father, but his mother remarried in order to give her son opportunities. At 18 Lenau fathered a child, of which he was forbidden to see after its birth, and then both his mother and grandmother passed away;

3 leaving Lenau with no living family (McKim). He then became a nomad, travelling throughout Eastern Europe, traveled to the United States, where he settled in Ohio, and finally moved back to Hungary at age 40. Throughout the next four years Lenau experienced three loves, all which left him. By 1844 Lenau suffered a stroke, causing an ever- increasing mental confusion and paranoia, and was admitted to a mental institution where he passed away within six years (McKim). If we compare Lenau s biography to Meine Rose, it can be assumed that the protagonist is Lenau himself talking to his loved ones, hoping that his care and love can keep them with him but knowing based on his past that they will eventually be gone. Like in many of his songs, Schumann alters the text of the original poem. He adds description to the text to create a more mournful setting, as seen in a dark well, to symbolize the torment of his soul, and joyfully rise again, to apply how the protagonist would feel if his love could come back to him. These descriptions not only add drama to the piece, but also keep the syllabic count of each line consistent throughout the entire poem. Schumann also alters the text with a repetition of the first stanza, creating an ABA form to the song. The changes in the poems original text and form support the theory of Schubert being the master artist; not only being a musician/composer, but also the poet. The song opens with a two- measure piano prelude, introducing the listener to the main motif of the song. This descending pattern, symbolizing the bowing or wilting of the rose, occurs with every pause in the vocal line, giving the piano its own role in the song; a common Schumann technique. Through use of compound meter, 6/8, Schumann creates text declamation; honoring the original stresses and

4 meter of the poem, which can be seen as odd for an artist who saw himself as supreme to other poets. Another unique quality to this piece is Schumann s use of text painting. One example, the above- mentioned motif as a symbol of the wilting rose or dying love, is common due to its place without text, but the seventh diminished chord underneath the word heiβen, meaning hot or torrid, in measure nine is a direct use of text painting. This text painting is emphasized through the use of melismatic writing in the vocal line that prolongs the cadence to g minor in measure ten. The B section moves into G- flat Major and is written in a more recitative- like manner, due to the still chords underneath a vocal line that plays with duple v. triple rhythm, which aids in keeping the text declamation. In measure twenty- two, the vocal line and accompaniment repeat the passage, melodically & harmonically, previously discussed in measure nine, but instead of cadencing flows into the only moment that the vocal line sings the main motif present by the piano. This happens at the most romantic moment; when the protagonist in a desperate will to keep his love offers his soul to her. The final two lines of the B section, where the protagonist realizes that his efforts are hopeless, bring a return of the recitative- like writing and the use of text painting. On the word freudig; meaning joyfully, which Schumann added to the poem, there is a prolonged F- Major chord flowing into a B- flat Major cadence. The A section then repeats exactly the way it was first presented, and the piece concludes with a piano postlude with the wilting flower motif presented throughout the piece.

5 What is extremely interesting is the Perfect Authentic Cadence that ends the piece in B- flat major; suggesting a mood not expressed in the original poem. Lenau ends Meine Rose with an admission of defeat, acknowledging that his efforts will fail. But Schumann ends Meine Rose with the first stanza, which ends with a persistence of aiding the rose and a major cadence; transforming Lenau s poem into a hopeful statement, reflecting the romantic ideals Schumann held. Source Cited McKim, Jody. "Nikolaus Lenau Memorial House." DVHH Lenauheim in Banat Nikolaus Lenau Memorial House. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 June 2013.

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