Description

Schumann was the first to set a complete cycle of Heinrich Heine's poems to music. At just 17 years old, Schumann had already been fascinated by Heine's "literary forks of lightning." However, he did not compose the song cycle until 1840, during his "year of song," when he chose to set poems from Heine's "Buch der Lieder." Schumann excitedly wrote to his fiancée: "Ah, Clara, what bliss it is to write for the voice!" This enthusiasm is reflected in the nine songs that make up the cycle.

For years, singers with lower vocal ranges lacked access to Urtext editions of Schumann's wonderful song cycle. Now, Henle has published a transposed version edited by Schumann expert Kazuko Ozawa, allowing baritones to perform the work. Celebrated Lieder accompanist Gerold Huber has carefully arranged these low voice transpositions. Henle's new Urtext edition also includes an extensive preface on the work's origins and a detailed critical report. The original high voice edition remains available as HN 548.