Kreisleriana and E.T.A. Hoffman: Literary Influences on the works of Robert Schumann

Authors

Alissa Freeman, Brigham Young University
Scott Holden, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Robert Schumann, composer, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Kreisleriana, solo piano

College

Fine Arts and Communications

Department

Music

Abstract

Robert Schumann is one of the most renowned composers of the romantic era, but only those who have studied his life realize that he also made enormous contributions to the world of literature. Through both his compositions and his own writings, Schumann was able to pay homage to many of his most beloved writers. The goal of my project was to learn more about Schumann’s connection to the writer E.T.A. Hoffmann through the piece Kreisleriana, which is one of Schumann’s quintessential pieces for solo piano. This piece was inspired and modeled off of several novels and writings by Hoffmann, most notably of which are Kreisleriana and The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr.

Recommended Citation

Freeman, Alissa and Holden, Scott (2017) "Kreisleriana and E.T.A. Hoffman: Literary Influences on the works of Robert Schumann," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2017: Iss. 1, Article 135.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2017/iss1/135