March in E-flat Major (for the Golden Wedding Anniversary of Julius and Pauline Hübner)

This march is Clara Schumann's last work. Composed nearly a quarter-century after her Romance in B-flat minor (1856), this work is, so to speak, 'occasional music'. The autograph manuscript, housed at the Robert Schumann House, bears the inscription: "Composed for the golden wedding anniversary of Julius and Pauline Hübner. May 21, 1879." The painter Julius Hübner and his wife Pauline were regular members of the Schumanns' circle during their Dresden period. Clara maintained her friendship with them even after Robert's death. Although it was composed to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary, Clara noted in her diary: "I had no idea what to give them, until Marie [her eldest daughter] came up with the idea of writing them a march and using Robert's duet Grossvater und Grossmutter for it." The melody from Robert's Op. 34, No. 4 is effectively employed, with the opening words of the lyrics inscribed at the relevant passage. How delighted the Hübners must have been with this gift!

Clara later made several revisions to this work with the intention of publishing it. However, a satisfactory "final version" appears not to have been completed. In addition to the original four-hand version, there is also a piano solo version prepared by Clara herself for her daughter Elise, and an orchestral arrangement, likely orchestrated by Julius Otto Grimm without Clara's knowledge for her 60th anniversary as a performer in Frankfurt am Main in 1888.