It is no exaggeration to say that Schumann is a crazy genius.
Schumann studied piano since he was a child, and began to show his talent for composing music at the age of seven. Later, his mother ordered him to study law, but Schumann was not interested in it. Schumann began to learn piano again soon, and became famous two years later with the famous piano teacher Vic as his teacher. However, because he studied piano crazily, his finger was injured, and his dream of becoming a great pianist was dashed. If Schumann's life had been like this, his position in the history of music would certainly not have been as successful as it is now.
After his hand was injured, Schumann began to turn to music creation and music criticism. His music creation is still successful. Schumann has created a large number of piano works, such as Dream, which is his masterpiece. There are also art songs and four symphonies. He is also the best music critic in history. His first music critic recommended Chopin, and the last music critic introduced Brahms. Schumann's music criticism is a symbol of pure music taste in that era.
Schumann is really a musical genius.
But Schumann is also a crazy genius. Schumann was born in a mentally ill family, and his father died of mental illness when Schumann 16 years old. His sister also committed suicide because of mental problems in the family. Schumann suffered from serious mental illness after composing his first symphony. Finally, he was rescued by throwing himself into the river on 1854, and died in a mental hospital on July 29, 1956 (aged 46).
I don't know whether music makes him crazy or crazy makes his music.
The third movement of Schumann's second symphony in C major is an adagio full of emotion. Although he is a representative of German Romanticism, this piece is rigorous in structure and neat in form.
The musical form of this movement can be divided into seven paragraphs: a-b-a-c-a-b-a. A is the theme melody. This theme melody has different variations, but basically the same melody appears in different parts in turn, and is played with different instruments, which makes the music have a reciprocating effect and makes a subtle and unspeakable emotion permeate the music.
Listening will make people involuntarily think of The Book of Songs. I remembered the technique of repeating chapters and sentences used in that ancient poetry collection. This technique is basically the same in specific applications, except that the middle words are replaced and sung repeatedly. For example, Jia Xu, which everyone is familiar with (the later lyrics "On the Water Side" are a direct rewrite of the poem), is to use the method of repeated superposition to shape the realm of emptiness and confusion. The repetition of chapters and sentences can enhance the sense of rhythm and music of poetry, form a kind of recurring beauty, and give people euphemistic and lasting charm.
In fact, music and poetry have many similarities. The earliest poems were also sung in harmony. Chinese and foreign music also have the same characteristics.
Listening to Schumann's mention of the Book of Songs is also an association that people who don't listen to music will have.
In fact, listening to music also requires concentration. We often take music as the background, so we will appreciate light music most of the time, but it is difficult to appreciate the beauty of complex music.