Chamber Music

Robert Schumann had incredible moments of creative output — his 1840 "year of song" or 1849 "year of wind music" are notable examples. 1842 could be described as the "year of chamber music." Along with the Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet, Schumann also composed his trilogy of String Quartets, Op. 41, Nos. 1-3. Influenced by the late quartets of Beethoven as well as Haydn and Mozart, Schumann's string quartets are beautifully crafted and filled with musical inventiveness, youthful exuberance and intense feeling. For years it was customary to dismiss these quartets as unidiomatic and too "pianistic" — there were claims Schumann's own unfamiliarity with the instruments impaired him from creating string quartet music of merit. They are highly successful on their own terms and show that Schumann discovered fresh solutions to any compositional issues he may have confronted. The Quartet in F was his first effort, followed by A Major then A minor, though there is evidence he worked on all three simultaneously.