Widmung

Robert Schumann's song cycle Myrthen was a wedding present to his wife Clara Wieck. Myrthen, or "myrtles," were the flowers traditionally associated with a marriage celebration. Schumann completed the Myrthen cycle in 1840, totaling 26 Lieder (songs for solo voice and piano), with texts by prominent 19th-century German poets such as Heinrich Heine, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and others. "Widmung," which means "Dedication," is the first song in the cycle, based on a love poem by Friedrich Ruckert (1788-1866). The frequent repetition of the word "you" in the text, along with the soaring melody and undulating arpeggios that comprise the music, all serve to convey the composer's state of blissful fulfillment as he contemplates marrying his beloved. This arrangement preserves Schumann's original piano part as well as places the melody prominently in the top soprano voice. The lower voices provide supporting harmonies informed by the accompaniment, moving largely in parallel motion, but with their own counter-melodic value. It was premiered in 2013 by the University of Michigan Women's Glee Club under the direction of conductor Jaclyn Johnson. The arrangement is also available in a version for TTB voices.