Analysis of robert Schumann's Op. 2 Papillons through a performing practice approach

Robert Schumann, the son of a book dealer, had deep connections with literature and poetry. He was deeply fond of E. T. A. Hoffmann (1776 - 1822) and Jean Paul Richter (1763 - 1825). His source of inspiration was literature. He reflected his ideas via music, especially on the piano. He composed multiple piano cycles such as Papillons, Carnaval, Kreisleriana. Schumann's double characters are reflected in his compositions as Florestan and Eusebius. These two contrasting characters are a model for a vivid, extroverted character and an introverted, dreamy character. The purpose of the thesis is to demonstrate how Robert Schumann's Op. 2 Papillons interpretations change from the beginning of the twentieth century until the end of the century. The first chapter gives detailed information about composer's biography, general view of the nineteenth-century piano music, Papillons and Jean Paul's novel Flegeljahre, piano cycle as a form, and a short comparison with piano cycle Carnaval. German Romanticism, The Biedermeier movement, and Hausmusik are within the scope of this chapter. Different movements and views spread out after the Napoleonic Wars in Central Europe. In the second chapter, I tried to give detailed information about performing practice of the early nineteenth-century piano music. A different view of interpretations and performances are discussed according to various theorists. In the eighteenth century, composers did not put any tempo or dynamic marking on the score. A performer of this era was expected to know the style of the piece and necessary ornaments. However, in the nineteenth century, composers started to put necessary tempo or dynamic indications on the score. With the advent of technology and industrialization, the piano became an every-day activity, a tool of education. The third Chapter gives a detailed analysis of form, structure, recommendations for correct interpretation and analysis of pianists' performances. I chose Claudio Arrau, Vladimir Sofronitsky, Wilhelm Kempff, Alfred Cortot, Jörg Demus, Sviatoslav Richter, Murray Perahia and Samson François among famous twentieth-century pianists in my analysis. Fınally, in the conclusion part, I gave three charts showing different metronome markings of the twentieth-century pianists' performances.