Schubert's incidental music is scored for
orchestra, and for some of the numbers diverse combinations of singers.
Overture There are two
overtures associated with
Rosamunde. The overture used for the stage production was the one Schubert had originally composed for
Alfonso und Estrella, but Schubert thought it less suitable for that opera. The first publication that linked the overture of
Die Zauberharfe (
The Magic Harp) with the incidental music for
Rosamunde was an 1855 publication of the score parts of that overture, linking it with the drama
Rosamunde. There is however no proof it was ever Schubert's intention to associate it with the rest of the
Rosamunde music.
Incidental music The ten numbers of the
Rosamunde incidental music, 797, are: • Entr'acte No. 1, in B minor (
Allegro molto moderato), which may have been originally intended as the finale to Schubert's
"Unfinished" Symphony. • Ballet music No. 1, really two pieces in one. The first is a march in B minor (
Allegro moderato) beginning with a modified version of the opening theme of the first entr'acte. Like the entr'acte, this ends in B major. A bridge passage leads to a lyrical piece in G major bearing the tempo marking of
Andante un poco assai. • • a. Entr'acte No. 2 in D major (
Andante), the outer sections of which have the same thematic material as those of No. 5, the "Chorus of Spirits." The central sections of both, though different, are in a similar mood. b. Romanze, "Der Vollmond Strahlt auf Bergeshöh'n" (The Full Moon Shines on the Mountain Height) (
Andante con moto) in F minor and major for alto and orchestra. • Geisterchor (Chorus of Spirits), "In der Tiefe wohnt das Licht" (In the Deep Dwells the Light) in D major (
Adagio), accompanying the brewing of the poison. • Entr'acte No. 3 in B major (
Andantino) is one of the two best-known pieces in the score. The main theme was used again in the
Impromptu in B, Op. 142 ( 935), No. 3. Schubert used an almost identical theme in the second movement of his
String Quartet in A minor, D 804, which is hence nicknamed the "Rosamunde" Quartet. The Entr'acte No. 2 has also be used by
William Carragan in his completion of the Finale of the "Unfinished" Symphony. • Hirtenmelodien (Shepherds' Melodies) in B major (
Andante), a sextet for clarinets, bassoons and horns. • Hirtenchor (Shepherds' Chorus), "Hier auf den Fluren" (Here on the Fields) in B major (
Allegretto). • Jägerchor (Hunters' Chorus), "Wie lebt sich's so fröhlich im Grünen" (How Merry Life is in the Country) in D major (
Allegro moderato). • Ballet No. 2 an
Andantino in G major.
Score No. 3b was published in 1824 as
Op. 26, in a version with piano accompaniment. Nos. 8, 4 and 7 were possibly first published in the same series. Other publications with one or more numbers followed. By 1867 all numbers except 3a and 6 had been published in one or more versions. The English music writer
George Grove and his friend the composer
Arthur Sullivan rediscovered the original manuscript parts of the music when they visited Vienna in 1867 specifically to research Schubert. Grove wrote: It was not until Series XV, Volume 4 of the
Breitkopf & Härtel Gesammtausgabe was published in 1891 that all the numbers of the incidental music were joined in one publication, with the full orchestration.
Performance history Excerpts from the
Rosamunde music are frequently performed, and are some of Schubert's most performed pieces. They have been recorded several times, including versions conducted by
Kurt Masur and
Claudio Abbado. The complete score, which lasts an hour, is seldom heard. In one rare performance, the
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, directed by
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, performed the full score at the
Styriarte festival in
Graz, Austria, in June 2004. The
Arnold Schoenberg Choir sang the vocal parts with soloists
Elisabeth von Magnus and
Florian Boesch. ==Other uses of the music==