One cannot delve very far into the works of Schumann without discovering
that his gifts are peculiarly lyric. His melodic fecundity is all the
more remarkable because of his strong originality. Even in many of his
piano pieces, such as _Warum?_, _Traeumerei_ or the famous _Slumber
Song_, the lyric character is evident. Beautiful melodies which seem to
lend themselves to the peculiar requirements of vocal music crop up
every now and then in all his works. This is by no means the case with
many of the other great masters. In some of Beethoven's songs, for
instance, one can never lose sight of the fact that they are
instrumental pieces. It was Schumann's particular privilege to be gifted
with the acute sense of proportion which enabled him to estimate just
what kind of an accompaniment a melody should have. Naturally some of
his songs stand out far above others; and in these the music lover and
vocal student will notice that there is usually a beautiful artistic
balance between the accompaniment and the melody.
Another characteristic is the sense of propriety with which Schumann
connected his melodies with the thought of the poems he employed. This
is doubtless due to the extensive literary training he himself enjoyed.
It was impossible for a man of Schumann's life experience to apply an
inappropriate melody to any given poem. With some song writers, this is
by no means the case. The music of one song would fit almost any other
set of words having the same poetic metre. Schumann was continually
seeking after a distinctive atmosphere, and this it is which gives many
of his works their lasting charm.