Drei Romanzen by
Robert Schumann is one of the finest works that oboists have from
this period which so sorely neglects the double reeds. While the simple,
elegant lines may sound effortless to the audience, this piece takes an
extraordinary toll on the performer’s endurance. As a former teacher instructed
me once –
Always program this piece first
on your program so late-comers will enter after the first movement and give you
a chance to breathe!
It is a work that I frequently find myself returning to but tonight it felt as though I saw part of this music for the first time. I was
playing through the work and had reached the final movement when I made an
abrupt stop; the written "low-A"! Originally for violin, oboists have adopted
this piece and will fiercely defend it as really
belonging to our side, thus being able to mentally block out the ossia parts. After all, the
scales are absurdly tipped in the violin’s favor when it comes to quality
Romantic music. The third movement is characterized by a unison melody line between the oboe and piano. The free-flowing line is suddenly interrupted by a f pick-up note into an articulated octave motive. It is one of the few
moments of outright playfulness that exists in the entire work. Uses of unique
articulation and octaves are special moments in this piece as compared to the array
of lyrical passages. The unfortunate drawback of the standard oboe is that it prevents
this particular moment from being played when the material returns a third lower.
Instead of octave “A’s”, one can only extend the first "A" of the bar into a
quarter note.
Looking at the version for clarinet that also came with my Breitkpfe edition, the instrument’s naturally fitting range allows the music to be played with the original material.
Below is the passage as viewed from the piano score.
