Classical Music | Contralto

Recorded on 12/31/1969, uploaded on 04/05/2015

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

...A blissful, reverent tone pervades the fourth song of the cycle. The woman, now engaged to her beloved, muses on the golden ring on her finger. She presses it piously to her lips (“Ich drücke dich fromm an die Lippen”) and to her heart (“dich fromm an das Herze mein”). The dream of her childhood is fulfilled (“der Kindheit friedlich schönen Traum”)—she belongs to him. The affectionate vocal melody throughout much of the song is reinforced by the piano, and supported by a gentle accompaniment of broken chords and a sturdy bass in octaves. The music of the first stanza serves as a refrain, reappearing slightly altered during the third and fifth, which likewise begin with the line, “Du Ring an meinem Finger” (“You ring on my finger”). The second stanza, in which the woman reflects upon her childhood dream, maintains much of the character of the refrain, touching only briefly upon a moment of wistfulness towards its close, as a G-flat creeps into the otherwise major tonality. The fourth stanza, on the other hand, becomes more passionate. The vocal melody builds to its highest point, while the accompaniment adopts fervently, full-voiced repeated chords. Effortlessly, however, Schumann transitions back, without breaking the vocal melody, into the tender music of the opening for the last stanza.     Joseph DuBose

recorded in 1950

courtesy of YouTube