Piano Trios of Fanny Hensel and Clara Schumann

Abstract

Fanny Hensel and Clara Schumann make an interesting pair for musical comparison. Both received good training as pianists and composers, maintained close ties to prominent composers in the nineteenth century, and sustained a lifelong involvement in music. Their lesser known contributions to the nineteenth century piano music in particular make them an interesting area for study. This paper explores the performance related issues in performing the piano works of these two composers, with focus on their piano trios. It includes a formal analysis of each of the composer's work carried out from a performer's perspective. Each analysis will consider key musical elements such as form, melody, dynamics, tempo, texture and colour in order to reach conclusions about the pianistic idioms and expressive intentions of both composers. There will also be a discussion of the interpretative and stylistic issues encountered throughout the course of the research. The outcomes of these processes will combine to inform the preparation of the piano works in order to produce a convincing and stylistically appropriate performance. Performance, therefore, will be both a key tool and a key outcome of the research, leading to an additional body of knowledge about these two significant, but little known composers.