| The purpose of this dissertation is to explore narrative strategies in Robert Schumann's piano cycle Davidsbundlertanze and his song cycle Dichterliebe. The discussion draws on concepts in literary and musical narrative theory, in order to develop useful ways to investigate narrative in these two cycles. In analyses of selected passages in both cycles, I examine the presence of temporal and associative elements, as well as their interaction. Although the main focus is on how the music itself communicates a sense of narrative, the discussion also addresses ways in which the addition of a text alters or enhances musical narrative strategies.;I explore associative elements through analyses of the opening movements of both cycles, and through analyses of nontemporal elements in certain passages throughout the cycles. The beginnings of both cycles guide the listener toward an understanding of the music as involving relationships across time rather than only consecutively. Similarly, the presence, throughout the cycles, of elements that do not fit neatly into a plot-like succession of events encourages associative listening. The analyses of passages in Davidsbundlertanze demonstrate how a nontemporal element can gradually become a central aspect of the narrative's temporal progression, while the analyses of parts of Dichterliebe explore ambiguities involving text and music.;Finally, I examine temporality through a focus on memory and dreams. In both Davidsbundlertanze and Dichterliebe, instances of recollection contribute to the development of the narrative by creating a sense of transformation through changed perspectives on earlier material. The discussion concludes with an exploration of ways in which the music in both cycles can be heard as implying a relationship between dreams and reality, contributing to the sense of narrative development through both temporal and associative means. |
