Fighting the Philistines: Robert Schumann and the Davidsbündler

Authors

Stephen J. White, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publication Date

4-22-2021

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Robert Schumann, Davidsbündler, Davidsbündlertänze, Florestan, Eusebius, Romanticism, Musical Philosophy, Neue Zeitschrift für Music, Carnival, Papillons, Mental Illness

Abstract

Robert Schumann was an eccentric composer and musical critic who influenced the Romantic-era musical community through the formation of the Davidsbündler. This “league of David” was Schumann’s idea of a musical society which exemplified a distinctly pure style of modern musical composition. The style of the Davidsbündler was based on the idea that music must reflect the personal life experiences of its composer. Needing a journal to publish musical writings of Davidsbündler, Schumann created the New Journal for Music. Having himself suffered from mental instability throughout his life, Schumann’s music often displayed unique levels of polarity and passion in order to show his own life experiences. Schumann’s mental polarity and instability was directly showcased in his music through the natures of fictional characters Florestan and Eusebius. These characters are clearly displayed though the piano works Carnival and the Davidsbündlertänze. Through the use of modern musical compositional techniques such as chromaticism and syncopation along with clear characterizations of Florestan and Eusebius, the Davidsbündlertänze stands as a testament to the ideals of the Davidsbündler.

Volume

12

Issue

1

Article Number

1

First Page

1

Last Page

9

DOI

10.15385/jmo.2021.12.1.1

Recommended Citation

White, Stephen J. (2021) "Fighting the Philistines: Robert Schumann and the Davidsbündler," Musical Offerings: Vol. 12: No. 1, Article 1.
DOI: 10.15385/jmo.2021.12.1.1
Available at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/musicalofferings/vol12/iss1/1

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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