Blumenstück (Flower Piece) in D-flat, Op. 19, is a piano work byRobert Schumann, written in 1839.Blumenstück is a series of short, connected and thematically related episodes,[1] of which the second forms a recurring refrain while undergoing changes in both key and mood.[2] It is considered to reflect the amorous human activities with which flowers are associated, rather than as depictions of flowers themselves.[1] The piece takes between six and seven minutes to play.[1]
Blumenstück was written inVienna in January 1839; its companion piece, theArabeske in C, Op. 18, was written in December 1838. Other works written around this time were theHumoreske, Op. 20, and the final movement of theSonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22.[3] Schumann wrote that he composed theArabeske andBlumenstück "hoping to elevate myself to the front rank of favourite composers of the women of Vienna." In his letter of 15 August 1839 to Ernst Becker, Schumann dismissed both works as simply delicate salon pieces fit only for ladies to play;[4] however, they both contain great beauty and are full of intimate charm.[3] His intended fianceeClara Wieck was inParis, but Schumann stayed in Vienna to compose and write for theNeue Zeitschrift für Musik, for which he had moved to Vienna fromLeipzig. The two pieces were published simultaneously in August 1839, although not as a set.[4][5] However, in a letter of 11 August 1839 to Henriette Voigt, Schumann seems to regard them as a pair of works, as he described them together as "less important than theHumoreske".[4]
Both works were dedicated to Majorin Friederike Serre auf Maxen,[6] the wife of Major Anton Serre, who together lent Schumann great encouragement in his romance with Clara Wieck,[4][7] despite being close friends of her fatherFriedrich Wieck, who was implacably opposed to the marriage.[8]
Blumenstück features a falling four-note motif that Schumann had previously used to refer to Clara Wieck inCarnaval, Op. 9.[9] Rather than in his manuscript book, Schumann sketchedBlumenstück in hisBrautbuch; it was offered, along with the song cycleMyrthen, Op. 25, of 1840, as a bridal gift.[10]
In a letter to Clara on 24 January 1839, Schumann wrote that he had recently completed a number of small piano pieces, with the titles:
TheBlumenstück is in the form of a double theme and variations, and theArabeske is in rondo form.[4] It is unclear whether the first two titles refer to works that are now lost[4] or whether they are the original titles ofBlumenstück and theArabeske respectively.[2][11] It has also been suggested that both these works were originally meant to be included in the otherwise unidentifiedKleine Blumenstücke.
