Debts and credits

Musical Times, Autumn 1999 by McKay, Elizabeth Norman

The heading of the first edition differed little from that on the autograph manuscript: `Fantaisie pour le Piano-Forte composee et dedite d Monsieur Em: Noble de Liebenberg de Zittin [sic] par Francois Schubert. Oeuvre 15.' The now commonly used title 'Wandererfantasie' or 'Wanderer' Fantasy, occasioned by the theme of the second, variation movement taken from Schubert's song `Der Wanderer' D489, to the text `Die Sonne dunkt mich hier so kalt', was introduced some decades later, probably by Liszt,8 who had it in his concert repertoire from 1846.

Certain passages in the 'Wanderer' Fantasy give fair proof that Schubert knew Hummel's musical style and was sensitive to Liebenberg's affection for his teacher. Although the music of this fantasia never sounds like that of Hummel, it does include features of the older composer's music. Thus here, and apparently for the first time, Schubert indicated ppp, at the end of the first movement (bars 179-88). He also called for fff at the very end of the final movement (bars 114-23). Hummel as early as 1805 had indicated ppp thrice in his Fantasia for solo piano op.l8, and more recently he had done so again in two brief passages in his 1819 Sonata no.5 op.81 (eleventh bar of the slow movement, and for half a bar in the final vivace movement). In this fifth sonata, which Hummel wrote only three years or so before Schubert composed his 'Wanderer' Fantasy, there are several passages, all of brief duration, marked fff, including the final bar of the sonata.

Just as Schubert, probably following in Hummel's footsteps, featured exaggerated extremes of dynamic range in the 'Wanderer' Fantasy, so also he introduced passages of widely contrasting dynamics in close proximity. Such passages, most of them in the first two movements, contain sudden, unprepared changes from pp to ff, and the reverse.

A further feature of Hummel's music that is replicated, though in different manner in Schubert's fantasia, is florid ornamentation and the filling-in and decoration of some intervallic and melodic patterns. In Schubert's 'Wanderer' Fantasy, such passages are most conspicuous in the final variations of the slow movement. Although the style of the ornamentation is very different from that of Hummel, the mere fact that Schubert ornamented so lavishly and uncharacteristically in this work seems to point to his awareness of the style of Hummel's piano writing.

The most striking and convincing evidence of Schubert's respect for Hummel's music is found in the piano-duet Fantasia in F minor D940, which was composed early in 1828. In the largo section of this duet fantasia there are close links with the slow movement, Andantino sostenuto, of Hummel's 'Grand' Sonata in A6 major op.92, also for piano four-hands, dating from 1820. Common to both are very similar double-dotted rhythms and associated melodic patterns, with similar trills and overlapping patterns. The relationship between the two movements is close, despite the triple time-signature of Hummel's piece and quadruple (common) time of Schubert's. In each of the three parallels between the two duets considered below, the rhythmic similarities are particularly impressive.