That Day, When a Single Melody Touched My Soul

When I first heard that opening melody cascading from the piano keys, I held my breath for a moment. It felt as if someone was gently placing their hand deep within my chest. Standing before this transcription of Schumann’s “Widmung” by Liszt, I was witnessing the moment when a love letter becomes a symphony.

How could such a simple declaration of love transform into music so majestic and brilliant? Facing this miraculous moment created by the meeting of two composers, I felt once again a sense of wonder at the transformative power that music possesses.

The Starting Point of Love – Schumann’s ‘Myrtle Wreath’ for Clara

In 1840, thirty-year-old Robert Schumann was a man in love. After a decade-long courtship, he was finally about to marry Clara Wieck, and he prepared something special as a wedding gift: a collection of 26 songs called “Myrthen” (Myrtles).

Myrtle refers to the silver myrtle flowers used to make bridal wreaths. In Europe, it’s also a flower that symbolizes marital happiness and purity. Schumann placed “Widmung” (Dedication) as the first song in this collection. Set to Friedrich Rückert’s poetry, this piece was truly the most pure and passionate confession that a man could offer to the woman he loved.

“You are my soul, my heart. You are my joy, oh you are my pain. You are the world in which I live…” From the very first lines of the poem, it’s already a confession that offers one’s entire being. Schumann wrapped these earnest words of love in a warm, lyrical melody in A-flat major.

The Touch of Liszt, the Magician

Six years later, another genius took notice of this love song. It was Franz Liszt. The piano virtuoso who was captivating all of Europe seemed to want to rewrite Schumann’s simple and beautiful song in his own way.

Liszt’s transcription was not merely a simple accompaniment arrangement. He published this piece under the new title “Liebeslied” (Love Song), magnificently rebirthing it like an independent piano sonata. While preserving the original’s intimate confession, he displayed an even deeper and broader emotional spectrum through his characteristically brilliant and dramatic piano techniques.

A Love Story with Three Faces

In Liszt’s transcription, “Widmung” unfolds like a love story with three different faces.

The First Face – Whispering Love
Initially, like Schumann’s original, a lyrical and warm melody flows in the high register. It’s like the quiet whispers exchanged between lovers. The gentle arpeggios created by the left hand beneath the right hand’s melody provide a rhythmic pulse that’s regular like a heartbeat yet thrilling.

The Second Face – Deepening Confession
But soon this melody descends to the middle-low register. The melody, now more profound and majestic like a tenor voice, sings the first theme again. The feeling at this moment is as if the initial shy confession transforms into a confident declaration of love. The harmony becomes richer, and the accompaniment’s rhythm becomes more assertive.

The Third Face – The Climax of Ecstasy
And finally comes the climax. Here, Liszt attempts a dramatic modulation to E major. The move from A-flat major to E major is an augmented fifth relationship, representing a quite dramatic change harmonically. Brilliant arpeggios and octave passages covering the entire keyboard pour down like waterfalls. In this moment, the personal love confession expands to cosmic-scale euphoria.

The Emotions I Encountered in “Widmung”

What captivated me when I first heard this piece was how the same melody could transform into such diverse emotions. First excitement, then deep affection, finally overwhelming emotion. It was like watching the process of love maturing over time through music.

What particularly impressed me was how Liszt created an entirely new dimension of music without damaging the essence of the original at all. While carefully preserving Schumann’s pure heart, he expressed those emotions more deeply and broadly. Isn’t this what true transcription artistry is all about?

Sometimes I wonder: what if Schumann had originally composed “Widmung” on this scale? Perhaps then we wouldn’t have the specialness we feel now. The very process of a humble love confession transforming into a magnificent hymn is precisely the charm of this piece.

Three Keys for Deeper Listening

1. Follow the melodic transformations
Listen consciously to how the same thematic melody changes each time it appears three times. First it feels like a soprano, second like a tenor, third like an entire orchestra singing. This transformation is the heart of Liszt’s transcription.

2. Pay attention to the left hand’s role
In Liszt’s transcription, the left hand is not merely simple accompaniment. Sometimes it carries the bass melody, sometimes it heightens the atmosphere with brilliant arpeggios. Listen to the dialogue created by both hands together, not just the right hand.

3. Compare different performance versions
This piece really sounds different depending on the performer. Evgeny Kissin’s lyrical interpretation and Son Yeol-eum’s brilliant technique each have their own charm. Try listening to multiple performances to find your own “Widmung.”

A Meeting of Two Masters Across Time

Ultimately, the reason this work continues to be loved today is that the different genius of two composers achieved perfect harmony. Schumann’s pure sensibility and Liszt’s innovative technique met to give birth to one new artistic work.

Interestingly, Schumann himself didn’t particularly favor Liszt’s song transcriptions. For Schumann, who valued the union of poetry and music, transcriptions without lyrics might have been unsatisfactory. But ironically, it was precisely because of this transcription that his beautiful “Widmung” came to be loved by many more people.

Music is truly mysterious. One person’s love becomes another’s artistic inspiration, which in turn moves countless other hearts. Just as Schumann’s whispered confession of love to Clara in 1840 still makes our hearts flutter more than 180 years later.

Next Musical Destination – Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen”

If you’ve experienced the magic of Rückert’s poetry meeting music through “Widmung,” how about encountering another masterpiece by the same poet? It’s Gustav Mahler’s setting of Rückert’s poem “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen” (I Am Lost to the World).

If Schumann’s “Widmung” is a passionate declaration of love toward the world, Mahler’s song is a quiet farewell from the world and a deep journey inward. In this work that shows a completely different emotional spectrum from the same poet, we can discover another facet of Rückert’s poetry and Mahler’s characteristic philosophical depth.

“I am lost to the world… I died to the quiet land, in my heaven, in my love, in my song…” In this solitary yet peaceful confession, you will encounter yet another form of profound emotion.