In 1837, Clara Wieck and Robert Schumann became secretly engaged, despite Clara's father's vehement opposition. They chose August 14th, the feast day of Saint Eusebius, as their engagement date. Shortly after the engagement, Schumann began work on the Davidsbündlertänze (Dances of the Davidsbund). Instead of his own name, he placed the names of his two artistic personas, "Florestan" and "Eusebius," on the title page. The individual pieces, 18 in total, were each given the initials F or E to signify the different facets of his musical nature. Clara was the dedicatee of this work; Schumann used a mazurka from Clara's Soirées musicales as a quotation at the beginning and emphasized that no other work had ever been so dedicated to her.
As a music critic, Schumann had conceived the Davidsbund as a community of progressive artists. At the end of his Carnaval is the piece "Marche des Davidsbündler contre les Philistins," and he even originally intended to call the Études symphoniques "Twelve Davidsbündler Etudes." Later, Schumann revised the Davidsbündler Dances, changing the title, adding metronome markings, and removing prominent performance instructions. The second edition included many detailed changes compared to the first edition.
Several keys, including G major and B minor, characterize the Davidsbündler Dances, with each section concluding with a piece in C major. In the second edition, Schumann not only added metronome markings but also made adjustments to make the work more accessible. The finale is a waltz in C major, accompanied by midnight bells in the bass. The Humoresque in B-flat major, Op. 20, was composed in just eight days—a large-scale piano cycle that reflects Schumann's conflicting emotions during the composition process.
Schumann wrote the Flower Piece in D-flat major, Op. 19, during his stay in Vienna. The composition, influenced by the Biedermeier style, contains a charming melody in the middle section that serves as a refrain throughout the entire piece. The form is circular, with certain sections recurring and culminating in a harmonious conclusion.