Musical genius across the ages has given lovers a soundtrack for romance, as well as examples of the inspiration that love can provide.
Composers whose works were inspired by love include Edward Elgar, who wrote Love Greetings as a musical response to his fiancé’s poem Love’s Grace, and Richard Wagner, who composed the Siegfried Idyll as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried.
Music brought Robert and Clara Schumann together, forging a unique union among complementary artists. In the first year of their marriage, Clara wrote three songs for Robert as a Christmas present. For his birthday, she composed music to a poem by Friedrich Rückert that expressed exactly how she felt about him. Robert also used music to express his deep love for Clara, composing more than 130 songs inspired by their courtship and life together.
With one of the greatest love stories of all time, Romeo and Juliet have inspired many composers including Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Gounod and Rota.
Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique was the product of his unrequited enchantment with Irish actress Harriet Smithson. In his memoir, Berlioz described the piece as portraying the dreams of a young man who, after a failed love affair, overdoses on opium. Although the young man in the music does not unite with his love, Berlioz’s dream was eventually fulfilled several years later when he and Smithson did marry. Alas, the marriage was not a happy one and lasted less than a decade. Fortunately, the music inspired by Berlioz’s desire has endured for us today.
Even music that was not written with love in mind can inspire romance. Here are a few beloved examples:
- Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, “Elvira Madigan,”
- Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2
- Debussy’s Arabesque No. 1
- Mascagni’s Intermezzo, from Cavalleria Rusticana
What music would you add to this list? You can check out more beautiful music to set the mood for a romantic Valentine’s Day. Listen to Love Greetings at 8 o’clock that evening on 90.9 WGUC.
As Shakespeare famously wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.”
