The Traumatic Tale of Traumerei

When you hear this piece, it will be very familiar, especially to people from India.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db5bPGgmRj8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHlfNYY1YIY

Yes, this is the theme music for the Raymond's ads (the complete man since 1925!), a straight lift from an old piece of the 19th century.

Originally composed by Robert Schumann, a German composer, aesthete and influential music critic. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most representative composers of the Romantic era.

Schumann left law studies for music, wanting to become a virtuoso pianist. He had been assured by his teacher Friedrich Wieck that he could become the finest pianist in Europe, but a hand injury ended this dream. Schumann then focused his musical energies on composing.

This particular piece is part of Kinderszenen (original spelling Kinderscenen, "Scenes from Childhood"), Opus 15. This in turn is a set of thirteen pieces of music for piano written in 1838.

In this work, Schumann provides us with his adult reminiscences of childhood. Schumann had actually written 30 movements for this work, but chose 13 for the final version. Writing a movement is not an easy task by any means, but ironically, Schumann labelled this whole work as Leichte Stücke (Easy Pieces)!!

A lot of people become known for something specific, something special. For Schumann, it would be Träumerei! It was later used as the title of a 1944 German biographical film on Robert Schumann.

On the silver screen, one can relive the experience of Träumerei in the opening and closing musical theme in the 1947 Hollywood film "Song of Love", starring Katharine Hepburn as Clara Wieck Schumann.

Some interesting titbits:

- The section titles were only added after the completion of the music. Schumann described the titles as "nothing more than delicate hints for execution and interpretation".

- There is no known complete manuscript of Kinderszenen.

- Robert Schumann married his music teacher's daughter Clara a day before she was about to turn 21. In those days, the age for a woman to become a major was 21. Hence this led to a long legal dispute. Eventually Robert and Clara won.

- Robert Schumann was often confused with Franz Schubert. There was a case when once a special stamp was released in Germany with Schubert's music and Schumann's face!

- Schumann lasted all of 46 years. He fell into bouts of depression in the 1850s (when he was in his 40s). After attempted suicides and time in mental institutions, he rotted away in mind and body and died after a painful struggle.