Ich Grolle Nicht Is a Poem Originally

Ich Grolle Nicht is a poem originally written by Heinrich Heine, and first set to music by German composer Robert Schumann. In 1899, American composer Charles Ives re-set the poem, putting his own twist on the magical sound created by Schumann.

The poem, as translated from the original German:

will not complain, even if my heart does break,

Forever lost, o love! I will not complain.

However you may shine in bediamonded splendour,

No ray illuminates the night in your heart.

Long have I known this. Yes, I saw you in a dream,

And saw the night in the abyss of your heart,

And saw the serpent that gnaws at your breast, saw, my love, how miserable you are.

I will not complain, I will not complain!]

The different styles employed by the two composers in their approach to the setting of "Ich Grolle Nicht" is readily apparent.

Schumann had a very literary approach to his compositions. Starting off in life with the idea of being a pianist, along with his talent for word-setting, made him particularly keen to the idea of setting poetry to music. His compositions are usually short-breathed and somewhat square, but speak with a distinct personality. Within the scope of setting the work of Heine, including "Ich Grolle Nicht," Schumann demonstrates his ability to compress immense emotion into a few short bars.

Schumann's transcendance from a capricious pianist to the more lyrical, poetic masterpieces capturing the human voice is also seen in this piece. He approaches this setting with a feeling of warmth and impulsiveness not seen in his earlier work, and also which is markedly different from the approach taken by Charles Ives.

Heine, by nature, wrote his poetry with a biting terseness that allowed Schumann to add his own richness to the setting. Emotion is expressed in a very intimate yet informal manner. In this piece, the passion of the music is terse and unrhetorical.

The way in which Schumann set "Ich Grolle Nicht" requires a singer with an enormous vocal range. A singer whose voice is not of great compass is forced to tone down the song in parts. A challenge is created for the singer, whereby he must carry the rich melody of the tune but also broadcast the emotion that Schumann is wanting to emphasize. To some, this may be seen as a technical weakness in this composition.

Schumann's music generally contains a strongly Teutonic character to it, expressing a wide variety of mood within a short span. Schumann here employs subtle shifting between a focus on the piano and the focus on the vocal. There appears a somewhat chaotic characteristic to the interplay of the voice and piano, bringing out the rich emotion that Schumann intended.

In the majority of Schumann's 1840 compositions, he displays his temperament as a dominant innovator, reaching out to grasp something new. Schumann was an expert at maintaining the energy from the unity of words and music. This is expressed strongly in "Ich Grolle Nicht" in it's literary flare and melody.

Ich Grolle Nicht" was also composed at a time in Schumann's life in which he experienced deep emotional crisis, connected to his marriage. He composed 140 songs that year, which include some of his greatest work. This period marked a sharp increase in Schumann's literary sense and his keenness for poetry. Becoming as one with the poem he was setting allowed Schumann's full talent and character to be expressed in these works.

Schumann may have been the literal heir of Schubert, but with a greater command of the verbal end. Schubert did, in fact, have a great affinity for the quasi-verbal expressive style of Schubert. "Ich Grolle Nicht" employs some of these elements of style, including contrasting sections in related keys without genuine modulation, which yields new contrasts within the piece. Schumann demonstrates his mastery of singing a piano piece and turning it back into a lieder. This is seen in the prelude and postlude of "Ich Grolle Nicht," which exist as self-expressive solos.

Schumann held a lifelong concern with the status of society and the human condition. His setting of "Ich Grolle Nicht" exemplifies the exploration of the tensions between forced optimism and brooding doubt. Schumann took the poem a step beyond the world of intense and changing moods that the poet originally created.

Much of Charles Ives' early attention was centered on finding the profound emotions and spiritual aspirations of everyday music. He aimed to capture the spirit of the people and the sweet sound of the essence of emotion itself. Studying under Horatio Parker at Yale brought much education about shaping the forces of music in Ives' life.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Ives faced the dilemna of how to more properly organize his various musical interests into a cohesive form he could call his own. His enthusiasm and interest led him to the traditional European form of symphony, sonata, and string quartet, while also upholding his love of tradiational American forms and his desire to experiment.

It was during this time of his search for a common thread to his compositions that Ives composed his setting of "Ich Grolle Nicht." This piece is very characterstic of much of his work and experimentation at the time. The piece opens very softly, and is much more instrumental throughout than Schumann's version.

The air of subtlety expressed in Ives' treatment is much more elaborate than in Schumann's. Ives takes care to keep the entire work fairly mellow. The tune seems to roll along much smoother than that of Schumann. Ives creates a much more dramatic distinction between piano and vocal segments.