Robert Schumann
Robert Schumann represents the spirit of the Romantic Era as well as any composer we could feature. He immersed himself in the newest literature of his era and produced music of great lyricism and passion inspired by literature. He followed the aesthetic and philosophical trends of his day and was an important innovator in musical form, especially in his songs and works for piano.
Personal Data
Dates: 1810-1856
Born: Zwickau, Kingdom of Saxony
(now Germany)
Residences: Leipzig, Düsseldorf
Robert Schumann was born the youngest of five children to a writer and publisher in Zwickau, Germany. He began musical studies at age 6 and was particularly inspired when in 1819 he heard the pianist and composer Ignaz Moscheles perform. Forgotten by most today, Moscheles was a superstar virtuoso and fine composer who would exert a strong influence on Schumann’s compositional style.
Schumann regularly performed as pianist during his “high school” years (Gymnasium) in Zwickau and also contributed short articles to his father’s publications. 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. Two months later, the elder Schumann passed away.
At the urging of his mother, Schumann entered nearby Leipzig University in 1828 to study law. Despite his promise to his mother, Schumann failed to attend a single lecture. 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.
Schumann spent virtually all of his efforts in the pursuit of musical goals rather than studying law. 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. Wieck made it clear that he doubted Schumann had the dedication to achieve that goal.
Wieck’s assessment would be confirmed for the next few years at least. 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.
But Schumann was also plagued by mental health concerns. A manic-depressive, he could compose only in his manic state, and he wrote amazingly quickly in short bursts of activity. 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).
Schumann’s health, both physical and mental, declined rapidly in 1853. After a failed suicide attempt in 1854, Schumann was confined to an asylum in his final years. Clara, whom he married after court intervention in 1840, stayed steadfast to him until her own death in 1896. After his hospitalization, she returned to the stage both to make a living for their eight children and to focus attention on Robert’s compositions.
Schumann Timeline
Friday Performance Picks: Works by Schumann
No. 68: “Hör’ ich das Liedchen klingen” from Dichterliebe
No. 192: Kinderszenen, Op. 15
Early Keyboard Works
Schumann’s early works were influenced by Franz Schubert and Moscheles, among others. Although he admired the works of Beethoven, Schumann’s style was not in that monumental mold. He did not sustain his themes in extended passages but tended to work in shorter forms often using dance rhythms. His admiration of J. S. Bach would influence later works.
Throughout his life, Schumann was drawn to literary themes and allusions. He wrote lyrical melodies based on poetry and produced some works of charming simplicity. But his exceptional abilities as a pianist also led him to write some astonishingly difficult works—suitable only for the extreme talents of pianists like Clara and Franz Liszt. Although he taught his students to compose strictly based on what they heard and worked out in their head, he composed primarily at the keyboard, inspired by the tactile feeling of the keyboard. This may have contributed to the seeming improvisatory character of his writing.
Papillons, Op. 2 (1831)
One of Schumann’s earliest works, Papillons (Butterflies), is made up of twelve short pieces.
Inspired by the novel Flegeljahre by German Romantic author Jean Paul [Jean Paul Friedrich Richter, 1763-1825]. The composition is said to depict two brothers vying for the love of the same woman. The pieces consist mostly of waltzes (two movements are polonaises). The contrasting moods often present in each movement depict the two brothers’ personalities. The dual personalities also point, perhaps, to Schumann’s own alter egos: Florestan and Eusebius.
Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17
The Fantasy in C has much in common with a three-movement piano sonata, but it is a bit too freewheeling to fit comfortably into that category. Schumann wrote the first movement in 1836, giving it the title Ruines in response to his being separated from Clara. He then wrote two additional movements with the idea of raising money for a monument to Beethoven in his birth city of Bonn. The movements were titled “Ruins,” “Triumphal Arch,” and “Constellation,” but those titles were removed when the work was finally published in 1839.
Marriage to Clara Wieck
(You must be logged into the Circle of Scholars to view the rest of this page.)