The life of Faust, vvho seeks immortality in earthly knowledge and magic (Faust, part I), then in the highest beauty (the beginning of Faust, part II) and finally in the power of deeds (conclusion of Faust, part II) is reflected in the life work of Goethe, who worked on Faust for over fifty years He 'completed' the worl in 1831 but started polishing it again almost immediately. Faust was not published until after his death and met with much criticism and disappointment, mainly because it was found to be unbalanced. Yet Goethe appears to have come to the conclusion at the end of his life that it was, in fact, impossible to complete the work. Had he been completely satisfied for a single moment, his Mephistopheles would ultimately have won. As we know, these were the terms of the pact that Faust made with the devil in part 1: 'If ever to the moment I shall say: | Beautiful moment, do not pass away! | Then you may forge your chains to bind me' in Drei Gedichte über den Faust, Goethe thus wrote, "Human life is like a poem.: | It has a beginning and an end | But is not a vvhole."
What started out as a pure drama now developed into a finale full of choruses and singing, but Goethe's Faust is no "opera", an all-encompassing work of art in the literal sense. Yet it comes as no surprise that it was precisely that finale, permeated with musical imagery, which so enticed Schumann lo undertake such a bold venture as setting Faust. He was, in fact, the first (simultaneously with Berlioz): until that time, it was only Faust, part l, published in 1808, that had attracted composers. Schumann did consider writing an opera, but still dreaming of treating the drama in its entirety, quickly came to the conclusion that the work vvould have to be an oratorio. This would thus mean abandoning that layer of imagery so conscientiously introduced by Goethe with numerous references to great works of art from antiquity and the Renaissance. Ultimately, it also proved impossible for Schumann to 'complete' his own Faust, which is vvhy we must content ourselves today with his Szenen aus Goethes Faust. Also interesting is that Schumann chose not to set any material from the central part, which deals with Faust's quest for absolute beauty in classical Arcadia, personified by Helen of Troy, limiting himself to several core fragments from the ‘medieval' first part (Erste Abteilung), a combination of the opening scene of Faust, part II and the scenes about his fall and death (Zweite Abteilung), and the mystically religious finale Fausts Verklärung, composed as a selfcontained whole (Dritte Abteilung). This presents a problem to listeners not familiar with Faust as a whole; in the light of all the omitted material, it is beyond the scope of these notes to present a complete discussion of the complex symbolism of the scenes.
Goethe once said that he had found the ideal composer for his Faust in the Mozart of Don Giovanni, in which he saw the light, 'devilish' quality he had envisaged. Nevertheless, Schumann, the pure-blooded Romantic, understood the German pre-Romantic dramatist very well indeed. Schumann began his setting of Faust in 1844. He started with the `anchorites scene' finale (Fausts Verklarung), the text of which he adopted in its entirety. His work on Faust was then interrupted owing to nervous attacks. In September 1845, he wrote to Mendelssohn, "Die Scene aus Faust ruht auch im Pult, ich scheue mich ordentlich sie wieder anzusehen. Das Ergiffensein von der sublimen Poesie grade jenes Schlusses ließ mich die Arbeit wagen; ich weiß nicht, ob ich sie jemals veröffentlichen werde."
In 1848, he completed the scene and put on a private performance of it in Dresden, where he had been appointed conductor of the Lifdertafel. In the 'Goethe year' of 1849, Fausts Verklärung could be presented as an independent work in various German cities. Schumann then finished the first two movements in 1850, adding the overture in September 1853. Several months later, a suicide attempt would put an end to his compositional career. Six years after Schumann's death, in 1862, Ferdinand Hiller premiered the complete Szenen aus Goethes Faust.
In terms of atmosphere, Schumann introduced distinct contrasts between the three Abteilungen, thus doing justice to Goethe's structure. As a whole, his oratorio is an expression of the idea of redemption. The groundwork is already laid in the overture, which develops from a dark D minor to a resounding fanfare in D major, based of course on the model of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. In the overture, the key motif that holds the work together is immediately heard, characterised by descending fourths and ascending minor seconds (a'' - e'' - f'' - ci#'' - d'' - a''. 
The Erste Abteilung contains scenes from the 'medieval' first part of Faust, in which Faust, led by Mephistopheles, seeks the absolute in earthly knowledge and pleasure, and brings ruin upon Gretchen. The key motif marks both Mephistopheles‘ first entrance (bassoon) and the beginning of the scene in the cathedral, alluding to the D minor of the overture. The Latin Dies irae lends dramatic depth to the dialogue between Gretchen and the evil spirit. The Gregorian plainsong is placed in a tonal context, the transition to D major at the words `Judex ergo cum sedebit‘ thus denoting the possibility of redemption.
The Zweite Abteilung is dedicated entirely to the fantastical aspect of Faust. It begins with the elf scene, in which the spirit Ariel awakens Faust after he has been saved at the very last minute by Gretchen's penitence when he has overindulged in the debaucheries of Walpurgis night (not set by Schumann). In a great aria, Faust comes to the understanding that he must embrace life in all its variegated forms.
We then take a giant leap - past the grand scenes with Helen of Troy and the German Emperor - to where Faust has come to the conclusion that he can achieve immortality by performing a deed that will change the face of the earth for all eternity: he will transform the ocean into fertile land. Now as a man, he comes face to face with his demons: Want, Debt, Care and Distress. Faust resists them, but not without being cursed by Care. Schumann has set this famous ‘midnight scene' as a ghostly, fantastic scherzo in which we again hear the key motif.
Faust`s death is set as a macabre funeral march, The Lemurs, half-human creatures of the night, dig his grave while singing a sarcastic song that Goethe borrowed from Shakespeare‘s Hamlet. Unsuspectingly, Faust utters the fatal words: he is now experiencing a moment of true happiness. The clock`s hand falls, the omen indicated in Faust, part I. According to the pact, he shall die and be doomed to hell, Mephistopheles' world.
But salvation is at hand. The Dritte Abteilung ushers in the world of mysticism. In a savage mountain landscape, early Christian hermits (the anchorites) take pity on Faust. The key of F major underscores the meditative nature of this 'chorus of saints`. The first saviours are three Church fathers with symbolic names. The key motif has a 'redemptive' duality in the serene melody heard in the cello which accompanies Pater Ecstaticus' vocal line. The deep resonance of the trombones supports the words of Pater Profundus. Pater Seraphicus, supported by a choir of blessed boys, concludes this segment peacefully. The choir of angels then sings the praises of redemption in the mystical key of A-flat major: Faust has continued to aspire to higher things right up to the end, and although he has uttered the forbidden words of the pact, his soul can thus be saved. The devotee of Mary, Doctor Marianus, recieves him in the highest cell. The celestial sounds of the harp announce Mary herself, Mater Gloriosa, whose hand will reach out to Faust from heaven. Gretchen is at her side. As a `penitent sinner`, she is succoured by Mary Magdalene, the 'great sinner' from Luke 8; the Samaritan woman who gave Jesus a drink in John 4; and Mary of Egypt who according to legend did penance in the desert for forty years after a youth spent in debauchery and being denied access to the place of the Holy Grave, The 'mystic choir' has the last word: earthly 'masculine' aspiration is but an illusion, while eternal 'feminine' love brings redemption. The key motif is
transformed into a combination of fifths and rnajor seconds (a' - d' - e' - a).