- Date: 1850
- Composer: Robert Schumann
- Period: Romantic (1820-1869)
Review
With text by Schiller, Robert Schumann's Der Handschuh, Op. 87 (The Glove), is a bit of a moral about love, courage, honor, and most importantly, self-respect. After the king and his lords and ladies watch an arena fill with four powerful feline beasts, Lady Kunigunde drops her glove by the animals and dares a knight to prove himself by retrieving it. Naturally elevated to the valor of the humble animals, the composed man obtains the article as simply as he would pick an apple from a tree. Enthusiastically greeted by the crowd and affectionately welcomed by the lady, the knight rejects her thanks, throws the glove in her face and exits; the work ends abruptly on the last word, "Stunde" (hour).There are three aspects of the work that change throughout: the key, the meter and the style of singing. The key of D major opens the piece for the first 12 measures and reappears in the middle; on both occasions the members of the king's court are the focus of the text either through action or description. Opposite these sections are those which use the key of F major when the feline beasts move and when the knight triumphs over his challenge.
Common time is the initial meter and it changes only once, to the livelier 6/8 rhythm, and then back again. Schumann used the second rhythm for the entrance of the last of the felines, the menacing leopards, who attack the tiger. Immediately following, intentionally in the same meter, Lady Kunigunde gracefully and wryly sets the stage for death. Common time is heard again after the knight's mission has been completed.
The vocal line is recitative for most of this direct composition. This style of singing, which is supported by simple chords that are occasionally staccato, helps to convey the steadiness of the poem's action, particularly in regards to the lion and knight's calm demeanor. The work becomes more lyrical for a few measures during the tiger's attack and later when the glove is dropped.
The song is through-composed and contains an abundance of motifs, only a few of which are repeated. Although Schumann didn't ordinarily place wide leaps in his tunes, he did confidently incorporate into the illustration of the animals intervals greater than an octave. Throughout the piece dynamic levels are broad; pedal marks, fermatas, and sforzandi are frequent; and extended pauses are bypassed for short rests. Although many sources indicate that the tune was composed in 1850, one year prior to its publication, others suggest that it was actually written in Schumann's "year of song," 1840. Regardless, response to the ballad has been mixed. It was also arranged for choir but much of it is missing, probably due to a lost page. ~ Meredith Gailey, All Music Guide
Albums with Complete Performances of the Work
| Title | Date |
| Schumann: Lieder [Box Set] | |
| Schumann: Lieder, Romanzen & Balladen | 1997 |
| Singing in the Open Air | 1996 |
| The Songs of Robert Schumann, Vol. 11 | 2009 |
