J. Randall Wheaton
There are few composers from the core of the tonal era who threaten to ensnare the analyst more than Robert Schumann. His innovative solutions to tonal problems, his expressive, albeit at times impulsive, changes of mood and tonal focus, and the plasticity and consummate mastery of his approach to diminutions and voice leading are all tokens of his genius. His particular bent for the dramatic is a natural outgrowth of his unusually wide and frequently shifting emotional palette.
Part and parcel of the development of this musical dialect is
Schumann's predilection for striking shifts of register, as well
as his fascination and preoccupation with implied tones, unusual
dissonance treatments, special problems relating to middleground
and background structures, and the various means for maintaining
continuity and coherence in the face of the juxtaposition of divergent
musical ideas. Such issues as these present substantial hermeneutical
challenges that Schenkerian analysis is particularly well equipped
to meet.
Accordingly, this paper explores the fundamental nature of some
of these striking innovations by confronting the notable analytical
problems that arise in Schumann's Carnaval, Opus 9, particularly
in "Valse Noble" (no. 4) and "Estrella" (no.
13). It touches, as well, on several other pieces from this cycle.
Finally, these analyses are also brought to bear on matters affecting
performance---interpretive details, tempi, the use of rubato,
and so forth---which will necessarily include some comparative
and critical listening.