Austria's Highest Musical Accolade: Clara Schumann Honored

Clara Schumann, born Clara Josephine Wieck, was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. She is regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era. On 15 March 1838, she was awarded the 'Royal and Imperial Austrian Chamber Virtuoso', Austria's highest musical honour.

Clara Schumann's life and career

Clara Schumann (née Wieck) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. She is regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, exerting influence over the course of a 61-year concert career. She was also a child prodigy, trained by her father, and began touring at the age of eleven, finding success in Paris and Vienna, among other cities.

Early Life and Career

Clara Josephine Wieck was born on 13 September 1819 in Leipzig, Germany. Her father, Friedrich Wieck, was a piano teacher of high repute, and her mother, Mariane, was a talented singer and pianist. From the age of four, Clara received basic piano instruction from her mother. After her parents' divorce in 1825, she began taking daily one-hour lessons from her father, which included subjects such as piano, violin, singing, theory, harmony, composition, and counterpoint. She then had to practice for two hours every day. Her father was demanding and controlling, and her musical studies came at the expense of her broader general education.

At the age of nine, in 1828, Clara made her official debut at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. That same year, she performed at the Leipzig home of Ernst Carus, director of the mental hospital at Colditz Castle, where she met another gifted young pianist, Robert Schumann, who was nine years older. Robert was so impressed by Clara's playing that he asked his mother's permission to stop studying law and take music lessons with Friedrich Wieck. He moved into the Wieck household and stayed for about a year.

From 1831 to 1832, Clara toured Paris and other European cities with her father. During this tour, she performed a bravura piece by Henri Herz for Goethe, who presented her with a medal bearing his portrait. She also received an offer to perform with the violinist Niccolò Paganini, who was in Paris at the time.

Marriage and Family

In 1837, when Clara was eighteen, Robert proposed to her, and she accepted. However, her father was strongly opposed to the marriage and refused his permission. Determined to marry, Clara and Robert sued him and ultimately received the judge's permission. They were married on 12 September 1840, the day before Clara's 21st birthday. The couple had eight children together: Ludwig, Ferdinand, Eugenie, Felix, and four others who died at a young age.

Later Career

Despite her family responsibilities, Clara continued her career, composing, teaching at the Leipzig Conservatory, and frequently touring. She gave over 238 concerts with the violinist Joseph Joachim in Germany and Britain, more than with any other artist. She also maintained a close friendship with the composer Johannes Brahms, whom she and her husband had encouraged early in his career.

In 1853, the Schumann family moved to Düsseldorf, and Clara became more productive as a composer, creating several major works. However, tragedy struck in 1854 when Robert suffered a mental collapse, attempted suicide, and was placed in an asylum, where he died two and a half years later. Clara composed little in the years following his death, leaving us with only 23 published works.

Honours and Legacy

In 1838, Clara was honoured by the Austrian court and was elected to the prestigious Society of the Friends of Music (Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde) in Vienna. On 15 March that same year, she was named a Königliche und Kaiserliche Österreichische Kammer-virtuosin ("Royal and Imperial Austrian Chamber Virtuoso"), receiving Austria's highest musical honour.

Over her lifetime, Clara composed 66 pieces, including chamber music, works for solo piano, and piano with orchestra. Her most famous piece is her Piano Concerto in A minor, which she composed between 1833 and 1834, at the age of thirteen. It premiered in 1834, with fourteen-year-old Clara as the soloist, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn.

Throughout her career, Clara championed the works of her husband, as well as those of Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Chopin. She also promoted historical composers such as Bach and Scarlatti, which was unusual for her time. She made fundamental changes to the way piano recitals were performed, establishing the convention of musicians playing from memory.

Clara Schumann died on 20 May 1896, at the age of 76, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. She is buried in Bonn, beside her husband.

Her marriage to Robert Schumann

Clara and Robert Schumann's marriage was a partnership of love and music. The couple first met when Clara was just eight and a half, and Robert was nine years older. Robert was immediately taken with Clara's piano playing and abandoned his law studies to take lessons with Clara's father, Friedrich Wieck.

In 1835, Robert took notice of Wieck's daughter, Clara, who was a young and highly regarded concert pianist. The two musicians fell in love, but Friedrich Wieck forbade them to be together, seeing Robert as a "penniless composer". Despite this, their romance blossomed, and in 1837, Robert proposed to Clara, and she accepted. Friedrich was strongly opposed to the match and refused his permission. Robert and Clara decided to sue him, and the judge allowed the marriage, which took place on 12 September 1840, the day before Clara's 21st birthday.

The early years of their marriage were a time of happiness and creativity for Robert. Some of his finest works, including his Fourth Symphony, date from this period. Clara played a decisive part in this productivity: it was at her insistence that he wrote his Piano Concerto. She also arranged the vocal score of his oratorio 'Das Paradies und die Peri' in 1843 and accompanied the rehearsals on the piano. Robert, in turn, encouraged her to write music of her own, and his song cycle 'Liebesfrühling' includes three of her settings.

The couple kept a joint musical and personal diary, which records the exuberance of their love, the challenges they faced, and their harmonious relationship. They went for walks together almost daily, and Clara noted that she was becoming increasingly "passionate" in their marriage. The couple had eight children together: Marie, Elise, Julie, Emil, Ludwig, Ferdinand, Eugenie, and Felix. However, so many children were not just a source of joy but also a burden, and Clara had to limit her practising to when Robert was not at home.

In 1844, after a lengthy break from touring, Clara and Robert embarked on a tour that took them to St Petersburg and Moscow. While Clara was wildly acclaimed, Robert was regarded as no more than a hanger-on, adding to his depression. On their return to Leipzig, he suffered a nervous breakdown, possibly due to a hereditary predisposition and the effects of an earlier bout of syphilis.

Robert's health continued to decline, and he began to show signs of mental illness in the mid-1840s, complaining that he couldn't stop hearing the note A5. In 1854, he attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Rhine River and was admitted to a sanatorium, where he spent the last two years of his life. Clara was not allowed to visit him until July 1856, when he was close to death. He died two days after she saw him, on 29 July 1856.

Throughout their marriage, Clara and Robert remained joint partners in both family life and their musical careers. They premiered many of each other's works and collaborated on compositions. Clara often took charge of finances and general household affairs, and she was the main breadwinner for the family, especially after Robert's hospitalization and death. She continued to have a successful career as a concert pianist and teacher while also raising their children.

Her relationship with Johannes Brahms

Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms's relationship has been the subject of much fascination and speculation. The two composers had a 40-year professional friendship that was mostly about their mutual love of music and their intertwined careers. Brahms was introduced to the Schumann family by violinist Joseph Joachim in 1853. He was warmly welcomed into the household and performed some of his compositions for the piano. Robert Schumann, a music critic and composer himself, recognised Brahms as a genius and championed his work. Brahms's playing impressed both Robert and Clara so much that Robert declared Brahms the true heir of Beethoven in a widely read musical publication, making him famous overnight.

As generous friends and mentors, Brahms and the Schumanns shared a close relationship. Brahms even moved to Düsseldorf to be closer to the family and to help Clara after Robert suffered a mental breakdown and was admitted to an asylum in 1854. Brahms assisted Clara with childcare and household management, and she, in turn, supported his career by giving public premieres of many of his works.

Beyond their friendship and professional collaboration, Brahms and Clara's relationship is rumoured to have been romantic. Brahms wrote to a friend, expressing his deep love and admiration for Clara, and his longing to embrace her. In her diary, Clara acknowledged their accord, attributing her attraction to Brahms's "fresh mind, the gloriously gifted nature, [and] the noble heart". However, their relationship was complicated by the fact that Clara was 14 years older than Brahms, married to Robert, and a mother of several children.

After Robert's death in 1856, Brahms and Clara's relationship continued to be a subject of intrigue. They took a trip to Switzerland together, accompanied by family. However, no one knows exactly what transpired during that trip, as their correspondence from this period is missing. What is known is that after the trip, Brahms and Clara parted ways—he never married, and she remained a widow. They maintained a lifelong friendship, with Brahms spending every Christmas with Clara and her sons from 1854 to 1858.

While the exact nature of their relationship remains a mystery, it is clear that Brahms and Clara shared a deep connection, both personally and musically. Their 43-year correspondence, consisting of over 800 letters, attests to the significance of their bond.

Her compositions

Clara Schumann was a virtuoso pianist and a brilliant composer, but she is still best known for being the wife of Robert Schumann. She was a pioneer in her field and made many great achievements as a composer, pianist, and piano teacher. She was also the primary earner of her household throughout her marriage to Robert, bearing eight children between 1841 and 1854.

Over her lifetime, Schumann composed 66 pieces, including chamber music, works for solo piano, and piano with orchestra. Some of her most important works include her Piano Trio in G minor, Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Impromptu in E Major, 4 Pièces Caractéristiques, and Soirées Musicales. Each of these pieces is very characteristic of Schumann's composing style, exploring notions of romance, elegance, nature, and melancholy. The Piano Trio is especially famous for its display of beautiful, intertwining melodies.

The most famous piece composed by Schumann is her Piano Concerto in A minor. Composed between 1833 and 1834, when Schumann was just thirteen years old, the Piano Concerto was her first major composition. The Concerto premiered in 1834 with fourteen-year-old Clara acting as the soloist under the baton of Felix Mendelssohn.

In addition to her compositions, she was also instrumental in getting the works of her husband, Robert Schumann, recognized, appreciated, and added to the repertoire. She promoted his works tirelessly throughout her life.

Her legacy

Clara Schumann's legacy is that of a pioneer in her field, who left a profound mark on the worlds of music and history. She was a child prodigy, who became an internationally renowned concert pianist, composer, and piano teacher. She is regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, exerting influence over a 61-year concert career.

Schumann was one of the first pianists to perform from memory, making it the standard for concerts. She also changed the format and repertoire of the piano recital by lessening the importance of purely virtuosic works. She championed the works of historical composers such as Bach and Scarlatti, which was unusual for her time. She also promoted the works of contemporaries such as her husband Robert Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Chopin.

As a composer, she wrote 66 pieces, including chamber music, solo piano works, and piano with orchestra. Her most famous piece is her Piano Concerto in A minor, which she composed between 1833 and 1834, when she was just 13 years old. She also wrote lieder and choral works, as well as piano transcriptions of works by her husband and Brahms.

Schumann was also an influential piano educator, attracting international students to Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium in Frankfurt, where she taught from 1878 until 1892. She contributed greatly to the improvement of modern piano-playing technique.

In addition to her musical achievements, Schumann was the main breadwinner for her family, raising eight children and caring for her husband after his mental collapse in 1854. She was a strong and resilient woman, who navigated tragedy and hardship throughout her life.

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