Narrative and Robert Schumann's Songs: A New Approach to the Romantic Lied.

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	Narrative and Robert Schumann's Songs: A New Approach to the Romantic Lied.
Authors:	MARTIN, ALEXANDER¹
Source:	Notes. Jun2026, Vol. 82 Issue 4, p549-553. 5p.
Subject Terms:	*Interdisciplinary research, Narratology, Literary criticism, Composers, Musical analysis, Singing, Lyric poetry, Romanticism
People:	Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856
Abstract:	The main focus of the article is a review of Andrew H. Weaver’s book Narrative and Robert Schumann’s Songs: A New Approach to the Romantic Lied, which adapts Mieke Bal’s narratology theory to analyze Schumann’s entire song catalog. Weaver proposes that lyric poetry, typically seen as non-narrative, can be interpreted narratively by treating the poetic protagonist’s evolving emotions as narrative events. The book is organized into theoretical foundations and practical applications, offering detailed analyses of Schumann’s solo, ballad, and multivoice songs, and introduces a specialized terminology to facilitate nuanced discussion of narrative in music. While some music-analytical points are debated, the approach is praised for its interdisciplinary potential and accessibility to performers and scholars interested in lieder and narrative theory. The review suggests the book is a valuable resource for musicology and vocal performance programs, with possible relevance to literary studies. [Extracted from the article]
	Copyright of Notes is the property of Music Library Association Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	The main focus of the article is a review of Andrew H. Weaver’s book Narrative and Robert Schumann’s Songs: A New Approach to the Romantic Lied, which adapts Mieke Bal’s narratology theory to analyze Schumann’s entire song catalog. Weaver proposes that lyric poetry, typically seen as non-narrative, can be interpreted narratively by treating the poetic protagonist’s evolving emotions as narrative events. The book is organized into theoretical foundations and practical applications, offering detailed analyses of Schumann’s solo, ballad, and multivoice songs, and introduces a specialized terminology to facilitate nuanced discussion of narrative in music. While some music-analytical points are debated, the approach is praised for its interdisciplinary potential and accessibility to performers and scholars interested in lieder and narrative theory. The review suggests the book is a valuable resource for musicology and vocal performance programs, with possible relevance to literary studies. [Extracted from the article]
ISSN:	00274380