Einsame Blume is the title of the second piece in Schumann's Waldszenen. What might this title mean, as I am convinced he is not evoking pretty pictures but rather describing his compositional goal.
Making a Tonal Refraction of the piece clarifies it to an astonishing degree. The "melody" is, for the most part, changing without going anywhere. It moves neither up nor down, it embellishes vibrations briefly defined by disconnected harmonies, often skeletal, in the left hand.
This is a staggering effect, since it defies all the laws of projection-at-all-costs that characterize so much of a pianist's training.
Try moving without going anywhere. It attains a level of intimacy that is almost undescribable.
