At first described as a 'religious song' by Schumann, the motet 'Verzweifle nicht' could be heard with organ accompaniment for the first time on 4 July 1850 on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the University's St. Pauli choral society in Leipzig. He wrote the organ version specifically for this performance for he had originally planned an orchestral accompaniment. That, however, could only be completed later and was eventually premiered in 1853. In a letter to Schumann, Herrmann Langer, t...