The Literary Heritage of Schumann’s ‘Kreisleriana’

Shin Hwang

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Name: Shin Hwang Main Subject: Fortepiano Research Coach: Stefan Petrovic Title of Research: The Literary Heritage of Robert Schumann’s Kreisleriana Research Question: What is the significance of Schumann labeling his piano cycle, after E.T.A. Hoffmann’s collection of works known as Kreisleriana? What aspects of E.T.A. Hoffmann influence Schumann in the composition of his own work? Summary of Research: Upon discovering Schumann’s Kreisleriana, I was drawn to several aspects of the work that aroused in me a curiosity in deciphering what, if any, connection it had to E. T. A. Hoffmann’s work of the same title. While there has been plenty of research done on his Papillons, Opus 2 and its relationship to Jean Paul’s Flegeljahre, I failed to find an indepth study of the relationship between the two Kreislerianas. In this paper, I explore the parallel philosophy of the two writer-composers: their definition of music as ‘tonepoetry’ and their belief in the spiritual power of music. I then compare their shared mission in condemning the musical Philistine and upholding the true artist. Lastly, I examine Hoffmann and Schumann’s use of fragmentation to veil the inner continuity of the work. I conclude that, above all, it is the exuberant fantasy of Hoffmann’s imagination that Schumann attempts to capture in music. Biography: A prize-winner of the 1st International Westfield Fortepiano Competition, Shin Hwang is a versatile keyboardist who has won recognition in both modern and historical performance. In 2011, he was invited by Malcolm Bilson to perform in the United States Library of Congress for the American Musicological Society Lecture Series: “What the Autograph Can Tell Us: Beethoven's Sonata in E major, Opus 109”. As a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright and DAAD Scholarship, he has studied with Jacques Ogg, Robert Hill, and Bart van Oort.

type	research exposition
date	01/01/2015
published	28/05/2015
last modified	28/05/2015
status	limited publication
share status	private
license	All rights reserved
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/107794/107795
published in	KC Research Portal
portal issue	3. Internal publication

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The Literary Heritage of Schumann’s ‘Kreisleriana’ (2015)

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