THREE ROMANCES Op.94

According to his own records, Schumann wrote the Three Romances for oboe and piano on 7th,11th and 12th December 1849, towards the end of a particularly productive composing year in Dresden, but only seven years before he was to die in a mental institution. It is said that he gave them to his wife Clara at Christmas that year and it is recorded that she gave a private performance on 27th December 1849, accompanying a soloist who played the oboe part on the violin. The first recorded public performance, with the solo part played on the oboe, was delayed until early 1863, although the Three Romances had been published by Nikolaus Simrock some thirteen years earlier.

None of the Three Romances is thought to be technically demanding or virtuosic but breath control and phrasing are crucial. Each one is structured A-B-A and the first (Nicht schnell - Not fast) begins with a lyrical 4 bar phrase which returns as the motto of the two outer (A) sections. The oboe alternates the same phrase with more sustained music in the central (B) section, marked 'scherzando', but most of the contrast with the outer sections is in the staccato accompaniment.
The second romance (Einfach,innig - Simple, heartfelt) has 'A' sections built on a 4 quaver motif which gives it a sense of yearning, so that the contrast with the 'B' section, marked "Etwas lebhafter" (somewhat lively) is marked.
The rising quaver motif at the start of the third romance (Nicht schnell) gives it a more robust feel - perhaps reminiscent of Brahms, and this motif alternates with playful octave leaps to give a livelier texture, ending in a coda which draws all three romances to a close.

• II Einfach, innig (Simple, heartfelt)
• III Nicht schnell

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