Twelve Poems op. 35, Set of Songs on Texts by Kerner

As with the Dichterliebe (51480549), Frauenliebe und Leben (51480547) or the song cycles with texts by Heine and Eichendorff (51480548 and 51480550), the Kerner Cycle Op. 35 was written in 1840, Schumann’s Liederjahr. Yet it has aspecial place: it was composed in the time immediately following Schumann’s marriage to Clara Wieck. Schumann set a series of poems to music in November, during a quiet week, which went by with composing and much loving andkissing, and the cycle was complete by the turn of the year. It contains a great deal of intimate musical innuendos. The first edition of 1841 was soon followed by a second issue, many of the songs were published individually andthe Wanderlied soon became a core piece in the repertoire. With Henle’s edition the songs in Schumann’s cycle are once again being published together in a single volume.