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    Clara Schumann Bio

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    Clara Schumann Bio

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    Clara Schumann bio

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    51 Summary of the Preface ‘cura Schumann, the daughter of the piano teacher Friedrich ‘Wiek was born in Leipzig on 13 September 1819. She began We tninng asa plano vistuoso in her childhood, which was ‘ ty her parents’ divorce. Her ambitious. and mw te as determined o make a concer pai ot goal he pursued relentlessly but with a great deal of uel acumen, Fle ao made sure tha she avoided «one Concentiation on the piano, and had her study th ‘SS hameny wah the Lepag St. Thomas cantor Theodor Wenig composition with Heinrich Dom and Carl Gottlieb Reser, voice with Johann Aloys Miksch, She also learned the alments of violin plying. She obtained a broad and well founded musical education which far surpassed the training thully given women in her day. She made her first public per femmance in the Lepzig Gewandhaus in 1828 at the age of nine. Shory thereaften she began touring with her father, who proved to be a clever and efficent manager. Her playing was [ied and prased by Paganini, Goethe, the young Schumann "vio lived in Wieck’s house fora time as his pupil ~ Mendel Sohn and Grlparzer. Her bailiant success also considerably inceased Wiek’s prestige as a piano teacher. Wieck was to frnain Clans foremost guide for many years; she willingly jut hereifinto his hands and was emotionally and artistically {oly dependent on him. Her subsequent separation from him vrs al the more painful It began when Clara turned to Robert Schumann, 2 relationship Wieck strongly disapproved of. The rout as well known, was a dramatic rupture between Wieck and his daughter. Inthe fst third of the Ith century, the concert public expected 4 pao vinuoso not only to interpret the works of other com- ren, but ako, and more importantly, to perform his or her tom works This is why Wieck began encouraging Clara to compose a an carly age. Her training had given her the tech- nial meins, and she also showed talent and interest. Her (Opus |, “Quatre Polonaises” for piano, was published by Fried: ch Hofmestr in Leipag in 1831. During the following years, she wrote almost nothing but dazzlingly virtuoso pieces for het inarument, including the Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 7, ‘thch she premiered in the Leipzig Gewandhaus on 9 No- rember 1835 in a concert conducted by Felix Mendelssohn Bathody Chan's mariage to Robert Schumann on 12 September 1840 fed her fiom the endless, tormenting confrontations with her fther, but gave nse to new conflicts. As a young, wife and smohe,she was in charge of the houschold and of the rapidly owing family; morcover, she was the assistant, adviser and ematoral suppor of her highly sensitive, psychologically and physally unstable husband. She accepted all these chores ving, but repeatedly expressed concern about her career, which was necessarily subjected to interruptions. She was intially disresed at being unable to practice sufficiently, since this dtrbed her husband while he composed. Moreover, the al- ‘mst constant pregnancies ~ she bore eight children in 14 years cf marae and mest probably had afew additional miscariages ~ thwarted many of her travel plans. She thus used every oppor- sunny for public appearances. Schumann respected this, but ‘aw no may of leting her develop her artistic activities to a pater exent, He did, however, repeatedly encourage his wife ' compos, and insted on having her works published, ‘Aer her mariage, Clara Schumann primarily composed songs, but alo the Pano Tio in G minor Op. 17 (1846). She almost alsays wrote her works as birthday or Christmas gifts for her fustund. Despite lengthy creative pauses, she was in no way 2 “Sunday composer” Her music reflects certain models and ‘nfuencs, but speaks a thoroughly individual idiom. The surviv- ing autographs also refute the occasionally voiced suspicion that Schumann “collaborated” on the composition of her works, or at least touched up certain passages; this occurred very rarely. She herself was unsure about how to evaluate herself as a com poser. In 1839 she noted in her dary: “Y once fle that I possessed Crete talent but Ihave since abandoned this idea. A woman sud tot seat 0 compose ~ there stl has’ been female composer, rly ‘hold 1 be the fit? That would be presamptns, a real of Be macnn my ater insiled nme oe carer year" While Clara Seems to have filly accepted the prejudice against women com- posers ~ which was particulary strong in the 19th century ~ she nevertheless wrote in 1846: “Thee nothing more delighfid than 10 compose something and hear it played afterwards.” Schumann's deith on 29 July 1856 plunged the 37-year-old Clara into a dismal situation. Responsible for seven underaged children, she was compelled to reactivate her career asa pianist for financial reasons. She concerized tirelessly for many years, travelling pariculaly frequently to England, but had to give up composing owing t0 lack of time. She generlly travelled for three quarters ofthe year and allowed herself alte relaxation with her family and friends only in the summer months. Artix tic satisfaction and selaffirmation gave her the strength t0 sup- port this restless life for decades. Thanks to her friendship with Johannes Brahms, whom she met in 1853, she made another intensive experience of al the ups and downs in the life of a composer. Together with Brahms, she prepared the complete tditon of Schumann's works. Frankfurt had become her home in 1878; she taught at the Hochsches Konservatonum there. Clara Schumann died on 20 May 18%. ‘Clara Schumann’s works, which are widely appreciated among ‘musicians, have meanwhile become accessible again to a large extent. A’ number of her piano works, the Plano Concerto Op. 7, the Piano Trio Op. 17, the Romances for Violin and Piano Op. 22 and the thee choruses on poems by Geibel ae now avalable in fist editions oF new printings, o in reprints of the frst editions. The two-volume, critical complete edition of hie songs for voice and piano thus closes the lst gap. The fst volume contains the songs Op. 12,13 and 23, the second volume all the others, which, for the most par, have never before been published, On 23 June 1841, Robert Schumann wrote to his publisher Breithopf & Hil: “woud like o give my aa ite present ter birthday, webich is in mid September: togeter, we composed a number of Racket songs which are interrelated like questions and sanseers. [ould lke to offer her this collection ina printed version ‘on that day.” His wish was fulfilled. The collective work bore the following ttle: “Tueloe Poems fom F. Ricker’ Spring of Love for Voice, and Piano by Robert and Clara Schumann. Tivo volimes Op. #3.” In his author's copy, Schumann noted which of the twelve pieces were writen by whom. This, however, cannot be inferred from the print, which has led to some confusion. Clara's contributions are Numbers 2 (‘Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen”) 4 (*Liebst du um Schénheit”) and 1 (War tum willst du and're fagen”), her Opus 12. Stylscally, they blend together seamlessly, and yet they disclose an individual character, particularly in the opulent sound and, at times, un- mistakable virtuosity of the piano accompaniment, which shows the hand of the pianist. On 6 August 1843, Schumann again addressed himself to Breit- Kopf & Himel: "My aif sends you ber regards along with a hie book of sons which she would lke you to print soon. We will dtr sine the compete tie as soon as we havea reply fom the Queen in Copenhagen, to whom she would like to dedicate them.” The pub- lisher complied with the request as willingly asthe Danish Queen Caroline Amalie accepted the dedication. Clara Schumann had 52 concertized with great success at the Queen's court in April 1842. The book of songs, published in January 1844 as Opus 13, contains the following ties: No. I “ich stand in dunklen Triumen” (Heinrich Heine, December 1840) No. 2 “Sie liebten sich beide” (Heine, June 1842) No. 3 *Liebeseauber” (Emanuel Geibel, June 1842) No.4 “Der Mond komt sil gegangen” (Gebel, July 1843) No. 5 “Ich hab’ in deinem Auge” (Friedrich Ricker, June 1843) No. 6 “Die stile Lotosblume” (Geibel, July 1843) Numbers 1-3 and 5. were Christmas or birthday gifs for Chan's “dear bebo hushand’ which she offered him “in depest Jmumiity” ox with headings like “Lit but arith Love” In his mar riage diary, Schumann described Numbers 2 and 3 as “te most sucess pues she has tren up to now.” After a Tong pause, Clara Schumann begin a new phase of creative activity in May 1853 with the "Variations on a Theme dy Robert Schumann” Op. 20 for piano. Between 9 and 21 June, she wrote six songs on poems from the novel Jucunde” by the ‘Austrian writer and art historian Hermann Rollt (1819-1908). In her own words, she spent some “Teel bows” with this work The same holds for Robert Schumann, who made a note of the “wry musical poems” fora subsequent composition. Is ficult for us today to understand the Schumanns’ fascination with this literarly weak conglomeration of vapid, cloyingy1o- ‘mantic nature poetry, social criticism, and sensationalism. Neves theless, the songs, interspersed in the novel afer the fashion of Eichendoef, inspired Clara Schumann to create some of her best songs. They were fist published by Bretkopf & Hire! in January 1856 with a dedication to the singer Livia Frege, a fend of the Schumanns, who had sung the title role in Schumann's “Das Paradies und die Peri” in 1843, Karlsruhe/Mannheim, Spring 1990 Joachim Draheim/Brigite Haft Summary of the Preface ‘ciza Schumann, the daughter ofthe piano teacher Friedrich Wieck. {178-1873} wasbor in Leipzig on 13 September 1819. Her taining AC pano virwoso began very early. Her father followed this goal ‘th unflagng determination as soon as he realized just how talented {hewasat the piano, He made sure that her training was not focussed tachsively on the piano by giving his daughter a comprehensive trical education. She studied theory and harmony under Leipzig’s S Thomas cantor Theodor Weinlig, composition under Heinrich Dom in Leipzig and with the Dresden court music director Carl Geach Reiser she aso took singing lessons with the voice teacher ‘loys Miksch and was initiated in the rudiments of violin playing, She gave her first public performance at Leipzig’s Gewand- has in 1828 and soon afterwards began her concert tours with her fathe, who proved to be an astute and competent manager. The succes ofthe child prodigy also considerably increased Wieck’s own ge aa teacher. Wieck was to remain Clara’s foremost guide for ‘many years: she willingly put herself into his hands and was emo- ‘orally and artistically totally dependent on him. Her subsequent separation from him was ll the more painful. It began when Robert Schumann started courting Clara. Wieck strongly disapproved of this, relasonsip, which was to take a dramatic tum. Inthe fist third ofthe 19th century, the concert public expected a Fiano viruoso to interpret not only the works of other composers, butakohis orher own works. Though this was certainly notexpected of och a young pianist 2s Clara Wieck, Friedrich Wieck knew that Jerreials would gain in attractiveness if she were to perform works fer own pen. He first compositions date from the year 1827. The “Quatre Polonaise” Op. 1 were published by Hofmeister in Leipzig ja 181. Whereas her self-esteem as a pianist was unbroken ‘troughout ber le, she considered herself an exception within the famework ofa social order which did not tolerate women com- srs orat least dd not take them seriously. In 1839, she noted in herd“ one fl that I possessed creative talent, but I have since shondoned this idea. A woman should not want to compose ~ there sil hart been a female composer, why should I be the first? That ‘could be presumptuous, a resut of the misconception my father in- sled n mein eae years” Clara’s marriage to Robert Schumann in 149 feed her from the endless, tormenting confrontations with ber father, but gave rise to new conflicts, At frst, marriage meant a comsiderabe increas in chores for the young wife. he was in charge «ofthe rambling household and of the rapidly growing family, imrever she was the assistant, adviser, and emotional support of her highly sensive, psychologically and physically unstable husband, She sccptdll these chores willingly, but the pressure was such that crises ver inevitable and ultimately led to the catastrophe related to Schumann progressive illness. Schumann’ death in 1856 plunged the 37-year-old Clara into a dis- ‘srous situation, Responsible for seven underaged children, she felt

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