Romantic Tributes to Beethoven, Beloveds, and a Friendship Forged, Lost, and Regained: Schumann’s Fantasie, Op. 17 and Liszt’s B-minor Sonata, S. 178
Robert Schumann’s Fantasie in C Major, Op. 17 (1836-38) and Liszt’s Sonata in B Minor, S. 178 (1853) are generally regarded as among each composer’s greatest works for solo piano and are included in pianists’ “must-play” repertoire. The composers dedicated the works to each other, though the two pieces appeared fifteen years apart. When viewed together, the stories behind the pieces reveal first and foremost both composers’ admiration for Beethoven. They also tell about the beginning of a friendship between Schumann and Liszt, a crisis in that relationship, and a return to mutual respect and friendship. References to each composer’s beloved muse (Clara Wieck, Princess Carolyne Sayn-Wittgenstein) appear in the respective works as personal tributes. Documentary and musical evidence within the two composers’ colossal solo piano masterpieces not only serve as direct musical tributes to a common inspiration (Beethoven), and their respective beloveds but also provide evidence of a sincere, though sometimes troubled friendship.
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