Composed in just over a month in November 1850, Schumann’s Third Symphony dates from the beginning of his tenure as municipal music director in Düsseldorf, a town situated on the famously scenic Rhine River. The nickname “Rhenish” quickly attached itself to the work. Although this title did not derive from the composer himself, Schumann wryly noted that the symphony “perhaps reflects something of Rhenish life here and there.”
Indeed, Schumann remarked of the symphony that “I wished popular elements to prevail here, and think I have succeeded.”
Schumann’s wife, Clara, too, noted that “on the whole, the symphony, and especially the second and third movements, is easily accessible to laymen.” This trend in Schumann’s music may also have been reflected in his plans to write “a thoroughly folk-like” oratorio based on the life of Martin Luther that would appeal to “peasants and burghers” alike soon after the symphony’s completion.
The symphony brilliantly evokes a “folk-like” atmosphere and has maintained a broad appeal since its February 1851 premiere.
Here is the music for your enjoyment:
