Invention in Women’s Work: An Analysis of Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G minor, op. 17

“[The Trio] remains women’s work, which always lacks force and here and there invention.”

-       Clara Schumann on her Piano Trio in G minor, op. 17

What is a great invention? The standard for inventiveness in any art inevitably creates discrimination between those who set it and those who do not—in the case of Clara Schumann, the men and the women. Jeffrey Kallberg notes that “feminine” music was perceived as superficial due to its “ornate melodies” and “brevity.” He adds that great compositions, meanwhile, derive its inventiveness from the deep construction of its form rather than “simple” ornaments. For example, audiences at that time might perceive Beethoven’s Archduke Trio as inventive due to the structural variations of the third movement and the tension at the seeming return of this movement’s theme. Inasmuch as Beethoven is an inventive composer, I want to pay more attention to Clara Schumann’s op. 17. I argue that her piano trio exudes invention in two ways: harmonic treatment and formal unity. I explore her use of modern harmony in adding color to the trio, and I outline elements that create unity in op. 17.

            Schumann utilizes unusually modern harmonies and chords throughout that they provide additional color to the piece. In the first movement’s secondary theme (pg. 4), Schumann made brave decisions with her harmonic choices. First, one immediately notices the frequent modulations, first from B-flat major to an unclear A-flat center. Her treatment of the C and C-flat blur the nature of this A-flat key which ends on E-flat major. However, she decides to go to a G major which modulates to D-major. This is one level of her creative decisions in harmony.

The second level concerns her treatment of chords. In the first two measures of the secondary theme, her use of the augmented fifth (F#) and the added 9th (C) evades functional harmony. It sounds as a passing chord; however, her decision to add these chromatic notes adds to the color of the piece.

Another instance is the first two bars of the Scherzo. After the tonic start, she moves to a highly dissonant chord with an added 9th, #11th, and 13th without the critical third. She moves to the next dissonant chord which sounds like a dominant only with added extended tertian harmonies, again without the third, before going back to tonic.

The last example is the chord below, and it illustrates a modern treatment of sound coupled with dissonances at the second.  All these dissonances are progressive and are common practice in modern composition. This is absolutely a mark of innovation and modern composition from Schumann.

What astounds me is not just her treatment of harmony but her way of integrating musical materials together in her trio. I notice two main elements that tie her movements together: rhythmic and melodic. In terms of rhythm, it is quite plain. She frequently utilizes dotted rhythms throughout the piece. The first few bars of the first movement contains this. The second movement has that feature in the opening theme of the violin. The third movement exhibits this rhythm in the piu animato section. In the finale, the secondary theme utilizes this dotted rhythm heavily.

            In terms of melody, I compare the primary theme of the finale to the opening movement:

If one notices the contour of the melodies, they are similar. They start on D go down to a G up to an E and resolve down to an A. Moreover, they utilize the dotted rhythm and repeated notes before the end of the phrase. Meanwhile if we compare the secondary theme of the finale and the Scherzo:

Both phrases use similar articulation effects. The bouncy violin of the scherzo matches the staccato of the finale. The second part is a legato passage which applies to both our extracts. The most prominent similarity is the contour and jump in the beginning of each section. The reason why I can hear them similarly is due to the jump of each phrase to their respective key’s second scale degree and the texture that comes with it. These similarities are instances of Schumann’s inventiveness when it comes to formal structure.

            Considering these genius elements in her trio, one can say that Clara Schumann and the patriarchal society of her time were wrong. Her pieces—women’s work—do not lack force nor invention. Her trio and her pieces are full of invention, and it is long due that we pay more attention to these works—women’s works.