![]() ![]() Audiences clambered to hear her perform in fact, one anonymous critic said of her playing: Once she formally established herself as a serious, virtuosic concert pianist in 1830, Schumann gave her next set of recitals in Vienna seven years later. (It’s no wonder she was such an amazing musician.) A Piano Virtuoso: “A Celebrated Artist” She then had to practice for two hours every day. He recognized Schumann’s talent at a very young age and began giving her daily one-hour lessons in piano, violin, singing, theory, harmony, composition, and counterpoint. Her mother, Marianne Tromliz, was a famous singer, and her father, Friedrich Wieck, was a music teacher. Let’s take a closer look at the life of Clara Schumann. She also did some teaching and composing when she wasn’t performing or raising her children. Schumann grew up to be one of the most famous concert pianists of the time, constantly pushing boundaries and fighting for her husband’s music. But that’s exactly what young Clara Schumann (née Wieck) did in 1830 after her father recognized her virtuosic abilities on the piano. He clearly understood this phenomenon, personifying the two states of mind in his writings and music as Florestan (his fiery side) and Eusebius (his calm side).During the Romantic Era, women musicians did not generally perform in public. A manic-depressive, he could compose only in his manic state, and he wrote amazingly quickly in short bursts of activity. Schumann had the reputation of an undisciplined dreamer, and this contributed significantly to Wieck’s resistance to Schumann’s increasing romantic interest in Clara who was developing into a world-class pianist.īut Schumann was also plagued by mental health concerns. Wieck’s assessment would be confirmed for the next few years at least. Wieck made it clear that he doubted Schumann had the dedication to achieve that goal. His mother relented to his desire to become a musician after receiving a letter from Wieck stating that, if Robert worked steadily for three years, he could be made into one of the world’s foremost pianists. Schumann spent virtually all of his efforts in the pursuit of musical goals rather than studying law. In the same year, he began to study piano with the prominent teacher Friedrich Wieck and, as a result, met Wieck’s 9-year-old daughter, Clara. Despite his promise to his mother, Schumann failed to attend a single lecture. Two months later, the elder Schumann passed away.Īt the urging of his mother, Schumann entered nearby Leipzig University in 1828 to study law. His father’s plans to send him to study with the famed composer Carl Maria von Weber were thwarted by Weber’s death in 1826. Schumann regularly performed as pianist during his “high school” years (Gymnasium) in Zwickau and also contributed short articles to his father’s publications. ![]() Forgotten by most today, Moscheles was a superstar virtuoso and fine composer who would exert a strong influence on Schumann’s compositional style. He began musical studies at age 6 and was particularly inspired when in 1819 he heard the pianist and composer Ignaz Moscheles perform. ![]() Robert Schumann was born the youngest of five children to a writer and publisher in Zwickau, Germany. ![]()
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