No romantic poetry and no concrete fairytale figure occasioned Schumann to write this composition. Today, we can assume that the title of the pieces, originally entitled “Romances”, was merely supposed to conjure up a poetic and fairytale world. Presumably inspired by Mozart’s “Kegelstatt” Trio K. 498, Schumann occupied himself intensively with plans for a work for this distinctive combination of instruments, whose “unique effect” enthused him. Yet almost three years passed before he sent a publisher these works that he had “written with great pleasure”. The first edition contained a violin part as an alternative to the clarinet. As this part was authorized by Schumann, it is also included in our Urtext edition.
