Zigeunerleben by Robert Schumann

Programme notes

Having obtained a court order in 1939 to overcome the pater familia’s implacable veto, mentally fragilised 30-year-old Robert Schumann finally marries the love of his life, renowned pianist and pedagogue, Clara Schumann, on 12 September 840, after six years of their relationship kept clandestine because of fierce opposition from Clara’s father. The exalted feeling of happiness resulted in an extraordinary flood of no less than 138 Lieder or songs composed during the single year of 1840. Before 1840, the piano was his preferred voice.
Zigeunerlied was also composed in 1840 and published in 1841 as opus 29 no. 3 for small chorus, triangle and tambourine ad libitum. Opus 23 no 1 is a lied or song for two sopranos. No. 2 is set for three sopranos. All three Gedichte or poems are written by the German Romantic lyric poet and playwright Emmanuel Geibel (1815-1844). In this poem, Geibel makes reference to Spain, Egypt and the Nile, as well as the physical characteristics of gypsies. Schumann expresses musically a gypsy campfire, the mysterious forest of whispering branches and murmuring shadowy people. Some commentators argue that Schumann identified himself with the gypsy, a person perpetually on the move, anguished, fugitive and exiled: Schumann being the successor of Schubert the doomed Wanderer and precursor to Wagner’s Fliegende Holländer seeking redemption. Other commentators link the wandering nature of the gipsy with that passionate side of Schumann’s character that he calls himself Florestan. As opposed to centralized, urban and bureaucratic and militaristic life, the wild, sensuous, fleeting and uncontrollable nature of gypsies (today, we could say ecological return to Mother-Nature) fascinated 19th c. German artists.
Theories tracing the origins of the gypsies are abound, with a consensus centering on Ancient India. Various etymologies reveal the confusion from where gypsies are wrongly believed to have originated. In English, gipsy or gypsy is related to Egypt. In Sanskrit the word Roma refers to a man of a low caste of musicians. Basque speakers, whose language is related to the gypsy language, refers to Romani (or gypsies) as Egyptians, Hungarians or Bohemians (from present day Czech Republic). Bohemian still has a connotation of vagrancy. Over the centuries, gypsies may have emigrated through these countries. The French word romanichel may derive from the Romani word romaničel, or romani person. Because of the Sanskrit etymology we know that the word Roma or gypsy has no connection with the city of Rome, nor with the country of Romania, even though Roma form the largest ethnic minority of 10% there. Gitans and tziganes (French), gitanos (Spanish), zingarini (Italian), zigeuner (Dutch) Zigeuner (German), amongst others, all stem for the Hungarian word szeģeny which means impoverished. That the German term Ziegeuner would come from ziehende Gauner or travelling thief is a whimsical etymology. Roma shared with the Jews the same tragic fate of diaspora throughout much of Europe’s history as well as cruel genocide by the Nazis. Even today the Roma are marginalized throughout Europe.
(Dixit Casteels) I hope that my transcription from the pianoforte to a guitar orchestra is appropriate because of the association between gypsies and the guitar, as mentioned in the poem. Geibel’s poem and Schumann’s music end with the haunting question: (the gypsies) where are they going?

Completion of the transcreation 

14-IX-2009

Recording

link is the video of the premiere