Music

Robert Schumann

1810–1856 · German

Romantic

Schumann was the archetypal German Romantic: composer, critic and literary dreamer whose piano cycles and songs pour out intimate, fantastical feeling. Married to the pianist Clara Wieck, he championed Chopin and the young Brahms before mental illness ended his life in an asylum.

How to spot them

▸Cycles of short, characterful piano miniatures with poetic titles
▸Lieder with rich piano parts, especially Heine settings from 1840, his "Year of Song"
▸Clues about Clara Wieck, the alter egos Florestan and Eusebius, or musical ciphers spelling names

Key works — listen

Carnaval, Op. 9 (1834–1835)

"Little scenes on four notes": a masked ball featuring Chopin, Paganini, Florestan and Eusebius

Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), Op. 15 (1838)

13 piano miniatures; No. 7 is the dreamy Träumerei

Recording: Robert Schumann (1810-1856) (see Musopen for performance author information) · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love), Op. 48 (1840)

Song cycle of 16 Heine poems, opening with "Im wunderschönen Monat Mai"

Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 38, "Spring" (1841)

Written in a few weeks after his marriage; opens with a brass fanfare

Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54 (1845)

His only completed piano concerto; opens with a crashing orchestral chord and cascading piano

Recording: Sviatoslav Richter , Witold Rowicki , Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra · Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 97, "Rhenish" (1850)

Five movements evoking the Rhineland, including a solemn Cologne Cathedral movement

Quick-fire facts

•He was born in Zwickau, Saxony, and first studied law before turning to music.
•An injury to his right hand ended his hopes of a career as a concert pianist.
•He married Clara Wieck in 1840 after going to court against her father, his piano teacher Friedrich Wieck.
•1840 is called his "Liederjahr" (Year of Song), producing Dichterliebe, Frauenliebe und -leben and Myrthen.
•He founded the music journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik in 1834.
•He signed his criticism with imaginary characters: the fiery Florestan and the dreamy Eusebius.
•His 1853 article "Neue Bahnen" (New Paths) hailed the 20-year-old Brahms.
•After attempting suicide in the Rhine in 1854, he died in an asylum at Endenich, near Bonn, in 1856.

Drill it — 9 cards

1 / 9new card

Sources

Grove Music Online (Oxford University Press) — Schumann, Robert
Encyclopaedia Britannica — Robert Schumann