Schumann, Robert.

no.2 "Des Harfners Gesang vor den Gästen" ("Was hör' ich draussen vor dem Thor"), marked "(hoher Bariton)", dated 1 July 1849
no 7 "Philine" ("Singet nicht in Trauertönen"), 4 pages on a bifolio
no,6 "Harfner" ("Wer sich der Einsamkeit ergibt")
no.4 "Wer nie sein Brot mit Thränen aß", dated 6 July 1849
no.8 "Harfner" ("An die Thüren will ich schleichen"), struck through by the composer, 4 pages on a bifolio
no.9 "So lasst mich scheinen, bis ich werde" [the final song], dated 21 June 1849, 2 separate pages, versos blank



the working manuscript, notated for piano and voice (high baritone (Harfner) and soprano (Philine)), on eight three-stave systems, with many revisions, deletions and alterations, a few bars completed by the composer in pencil, autograph annotations and cues in orange crayon and pencil, the six songs complete in themselves, a few postludes and links for the piano indicated by letters and bass-lines,



10 pages, folio (34.3 x 26.9cm), 24-stave paper, on 2 bifolios and 2 separate leaves (versos blank), blue cloth folder, black gilt label, [Dresden]  June-July 1849, minor pencil annotations in a later hand 

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
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This is the composing manuscript of one of Schumann's major Goethe settings, the songs from his novel Wilhelm Meisters Lehrejahre. The six songs are complete here, and the piano accompaniments almost in their final versions, but with some differences from the printed editions.  Even song no.8, which is deleted by the composer, is complete, except for two 2-bar piano interludes, although there are so many corrections and alterations as to require a neater later copy. .

The manuscript gives a vivid impression of Schumann's creative process, the songs often heavily revised and reworked, the composer extending passages across pages and openings, using cues and arrows. Schumann does not write out the six-bar piano postlude to song no.4, but the harmonic rhythm is outlined by the bass-line which is almost unaltered in the definitive edition. There are early composing drafts diverging from the published editions, including a lengthy rejected version of the end of song no.2; the conclusion of no.7 is written on an additional nine-stave piece of paper affixed to the lower margin, no.8 heavily reworked and deleted

There are no other Schumann settings of these texts.  Schumann has given some songs early versions of their titles (rather, indicationsof the characters, the Harpist and Philine). However "Philine" was Goethe's own title for the song no.7.  The tempo markings also differ from the  published versions: no. 6 is here marked "die Begleitung dieses [Lied] sehr zart, wie Harfenmusik" .

Schumann revered Goethe among German poets, and these settings come at the same time as his work on Part  One of Szenen aus Göthes "Faust", which he composed later in July 1849 .  In Goethe's novel (1795) the Harpist who gives three of these songs is Mignon's father.  Philine is an actress enamoured of Wilhelm Meister. The Mignon songs were composed in Kreischa in May 1849 and the manuscript of nos 3 and 5 are in Paris BN Ms. 346. Schumann has annotated song no.7 to indicate where he has omitted the second strophe of Goethe's poem "der 2te Vers bleibt aus".