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Schumann · Robert Schumann

Schumann Symphony No. 3 in E♭ major "Rhenish"

Written in five weeks in a new city on the Rhine

Key
E♭ major
Composed
1850
Premiere
1851 Düsseldorf
Duration
about 33 min
Movements
5 movements
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 2·2·2·2 · Brass 4·2·3·0 · Timpani · Strings

The story behind this piece

In 1850, Schumann became music director in Düsseldorf, a city on the Rhine. Soon after arriving in the new city, he began this symphony on November 2 of that year and finished it on December 9, so he wrote it in about five weeks.

Unusually for a symphony, it has five movements. The solemn fourth movement is known as music that evokes the ceremony at Cologne Cathedral in which an archbishop was elevated to cardinal. The trombones make their first appearance in the fourth movement, creating a cathedral-like atmosphere.

One movement originally had a title like "Morning on the Rhine," but he removed it for publication. Schumann reportedly said, "When the eye is fixed on one thing, the ear can no longer judge alone." Instead, he filled the piece with a simple folk-dance feel. Schumann conducted the premiere himself in Düsseldorf on February 6, 1851.

What to listen for

  • Opening of the first movement: with no introduction, the whole orchestra begins powerfully, surging like a great wave.
  • Fourth movement: the trombones, silent until now, enter and sound a solemn chorale. It's a scene that brings to mind the high ceiling of a cathedral.
  • Second movement: a melody like a relaxed country dance flows along like a river.

Listen · Score

Credits