Robert Schumann

Born: June 8, 1810 (Zwickau, Germany)

Died: July 29, 1856 (age 46 years) (Endenich, Bonn, Germany)

Introduction-

Robert Schumann was a German composer and influential music critic during the Romantic Period
alongside other famous composers such as Franz Liszt and Frédéric Chopin. He is famous for his piano
music, lieder (songs), and orchestral music. Despite not being a child prodigy, he showed exceptional
talent in the field of music and was one of the most important composers of the 19th Century.

Facts about Robert Schumann!

-He composed more than 150 works with exceptional variety.

-He studied law but chose music

-He created a new genre of music .

*Sources state that when Schumann debuted his composition, the "Piano Quintet," in 1842, he
invented the genre of chamber music.

-He had 8 children with his wife.

-He died young (age 46).

-He suffered from mental illnesses.

Examples of his pieces:

'Mondnacht' ('Moonlight,' from Liederkreis, Op. 39) Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBGyJvHe0kc&ab_channel=JosephvonEichendorff)

Piano Quintet - 'Scherzo' (Emerson Quartet w/Menahem Pressler)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQkcHjLa7jo&ab_channel=MenahemPressler-Topic)
Kreisleriana - 'Schnell und spielend' (Murray Perahia, piano)

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN8cF-nun5s&ab_channel=MurrayPerahia-Topic)

More examples of his pieces:

Life of Robert Schumman.

Early Years

-Robert Schumann's father was a bookseller and a publisher.

-After studying four years in a private school, In 1820, Schumann went to Zwickau Gymnasium for high
school where he spent 8 years studying.

-Schumann began his musical journey at the age of six by studying the piano.

-In 1828, Schumann, under family pressure, made a decision to enter the University of Leipzig to study
law, but he was devoted to music. For a few months, he studied the piano with his teacher, Friedrich
Wieck where he also got to meet Wieck's nine-year-old daughter named Clara Wieck that is also a
brilliant pianist.

-In the summer of 1829, Schumann left Leipzig for Heidelberg where he composed music with the style
of Franz Schubert with a desire to quit law and continue his pianist journey. With the result of
Schumman's desires, Schumman's mother allowed him to return to Leipzig for a trial period with Wieck.

-In 1831, Schumman's Opus 1 , the Abegg Variations for piano, was published.

Schumann's Love life

-In 1834, Schumann became engaged to Ernestine von Fricken but the engagement was broken off
(January 1, 1836)

-In 1836, Schumann began to lay his eyes upon 16-year-old Clara Wieck, Friedrich Wieck's daughter, and
fell in love with her. Clara would begin to date Schumman but she obeyed her father who was against the
idea of Schumman marrying Clara.

-Schumann was heartbroken for 16 months, there he wrote Fantasy in C Major for piano and edited the
periodical Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Journal for Music).

-In 1837, Schumann requested Clara's father for her hand in marriage, but Friedrich Wieck would still
disagree. The couple would finally be married in 1840 after they settled it in court about Wieck's
objection to marriage. After that, Schumman and Clara would have eight children in the span of their
marriage life.

Last years of Schumman

-Schumman's nervous system has never been strong. He contemplated suicide on at least three
occasions in the 1830s.

-In the midst of 1840, he suffered from severe depression and nervous exhaustion.

-His musical abilities also diminished by the late 1840s due to his severe psychological conditions.

-On February 10, 1854, Schumman began complaining about an agonizing pain attacks of the ear illness
that had bothered him before; this was followed by aural hallucinations.

-On February 26, he asked to be isolated in a private asylum at Endenich, near Bonn, where he lived for
two and a half years, able to interact with Clara and his friends. He died there in 1856 with a legacy to
carry.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Schumann

https://www.classicfm.com/composers/schumann/guides/schumann-life/

https://www.musiciansway.com/blog/2010/05/schumann-at-
200/#:~:text=June%208%2C%202010%20marked%20the,continues%20to%20enchant%20audiences%20
worldwide.

https://www.npr.org/2011/07/18/127038609/the-life-and-music-of-robert-schumann

https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/robert-schumann-facts/