Robert Alexander Schumann（1810-1856）and Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff （1788-1857） were both influential German artists during the Romantic period. Since young, Schumann was surrounded with literatures and music, and later went through hardships that tempered his character, these would contribute to his refined perception towards music and literatures. Schumann was very good at selecting texts for his art songs, so that it could fit the melody line. Through this effort, it also raised the value of the literature itself. Schumann composed around two hundred art songs, which played a significant role in his composition works. Schumann’s song cycle, Liederkreis Op.39, is a good example of it. The lyrics are based on poems by Eichendorff. And through the composer’s refined musical effort, these two elements molded together and produced work of highly artistic value.

This thesis will focus on Schumann’s life and his art songs, Eichendorff’s life, and the music analysis and interpretation of Liederkreis Op.39. Through this research, I sought to gain a deeper understanding of this song cycle, bringing the performance and interpretation into a higher level.