SCHUMANN is one of many hymn tunes arranged by Lowell Mason (PHH 96). He first published the arrangement in Cantica Laudis (1850), a collection he edited with George J. Webb (PHH 559). First called WHITE, the tune was marked "Arr. from Schumann" and was thus ascribed to the German composer Robert A. Schumann. Although Clara Schumann doubted that it came from her husband's music, the tune's name derives from that early association with Schumann's name.
SCHUMANN builds to an effective climax in its final line–the first line is unfortunately broken into two short phrases, but sensitive organists and singers will try to tie these into one long line. Try antiphonal singing or a combination of unison and harmony stanzas when singing the entire hymn.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988
Robert Alexander Schumann DM Germany 1810-1856. Born at Swickau, Saxony, Germany, the last child of a novelist, bookseller, and publisher, he began composing music at age seven. He received general music instruction at the local high school and worked to create his own compositions. Some of his works were considered admirable for his age. He even composed music congruent to the personalities of friends, who took note of the anomaly. He studied famous poets and philosophers and was impressed with the works of other famous composers of the time. After his father’s death in 1826, he went to Leipzig to study law (to meet the terms of his inheritance). In 1829 he continued law studies in Heidelberg, where he became a lifelong member o… Go to person page >
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