Schumann's Musical Legacy: Honored In Austria

Robert Schumann was a German Romantic composer, pianist, and music critic born in 1810. He was married to Clara Schumann, a pianist and composer in her own right. Although Robert composed in all the main musical genres of the time, he is best known for his piano music, songs, and orchestral works. Many of his best-known piano pieces were written for his wife, who was one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era.

Robert Schumann did not receive Austria's highest musical honour. However, his wife, Clara, was named a Königliche und Kaiserliche Österreichische Kammer-virtuosin (Royal and Imperial Austrian Chamber Virtuoso)—Austria's highest musical honour—after a series of recitals in Vienna.

Robert Schumann's life and work

Robert Schumann was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the Romantic era. He was born in 1810 in Zwickau, Saxony, to an affluent middle-class family with no musical connections. He studied law at the universities of Leipzig and Heidelberg but was more interested in music and Romantic literature. He also took piano lessons from Friedrich Wieck, but a problem with his right hand meant he had to give up his hopes of becoming a virtuoso pianist, and he turned to composition.

Schumann was a prolific composer, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber groups, orchestra, choir, and opera. He was also a co-founder and editor of the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Musical Journal). He distinguished between two contrasting aspects of his personality in his writing for the journal and in his music, dubbing these alter egos "Florestan" (impetuous and extrovert) and "Eusebius" (gentle, poetic, and introverted).

In 1840, Schumann married Clara Wieck, a distinguished pianist and composer in her own right. The couple had eight children together. Clara's career as a concert pianist took her across Europe, and she often performed her husband's compositions. She was also the inspiration for many of his works, and she encouraged him to attempt more ambitious compositions.

Schumann suffered from mental and physical ill health throughout his life. In 1854, he suffered a nervous breakdown and began to experience hallucinations. He attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Rhine but was rescued and admitted to a sanatorium, where he spent the last two and a half years of his life. He died in 1856, aged 46.

Despite his struggles, Schumann is considered one of the greatest exponents of Romantic music. His works are known for their literary and musical allusions, autobiographical references, and cryptograms. He was also a talented critic, using his magazine to promote new music and up-and-coming musicians.

His mental health

Robert Schumann's mental health was a complex and tragic aspect of his life, with his struggles influencing how his work was perceived and interpreted. Schumann himself recognised the interplay between his creativity and mental state, distinguishing between two alter egos: "Florestan" for his impetuous self and "Eusebius" for his gentle, poetic side.

Schumann's mental health issues included severe psychotic episodes, hallucinations, and bouts of depression. He experienced periods of intense creativity, coinciding with manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder, followed by periods of low creative output, withdrawal, and despair. This pattern of emotional highs and lows had a significant impact on his work, with his compositions reflecting the joys and sorrows of his life.

Schumann's mental health challenges were not helped by his family history of psychiatric illness. His father reportedly had a nervous breakdown, his mother suffered from bouts of depression, and his sister Emilie took her own life. Schumann himself feared inheriting this family predisposition to mental illness.

In 1854, Schumann's mental health took a grave turn. He attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Rhine River and was admitted to the Endenich asylum near Bonn, where he died two years later at the age of 46. The cause of his death is still debated, with some attributing it to neurosyphilis, while others suggest pneumonia or self-starvation.

The interpretation of Schumann's work through the lens of his mental health has been a contentious issue. Some critics and musicians have used psychiatric diagnoses to aid their assessments of his music, with his late works often dismissed as symptomatic of a weakened mind. However, others, like cellist Steven Isserlis, defend these compositions as misunderstood and sublime.

The debate surrounding Schumann's mental health and its influence on his compositions continues to shape how his work is perceived and performed, leaving a complex legacy that intrigues psychiatrists, musicians, and scholars alike.

His relationship with Clara Wieck

Robert Schumann first met Clara Wieck in 1828 when she was just nine years old. At the time, Schumann was a student of piano teacher Friedrich Wieck, Clara's father. Clara was already a gifted pianist and composer, giving concerts at the age of 11. Schumann, meanwhile, was studying law at the University of Leipzig, a course pushed on him by his mother. His father, a bookseller and publisher, had ensured that Schumann also studied German literature.

In 1830, Schumann returned to Leipzig and began studying piano with Wieck, moving into a room in his teacher's house. It was here that Schumann first met Clara, and he soon fell in love with her. However, Wieck did not approve of the relationship and forbade the pair from seeing each other. Despite this, Schumann and Clara continued their romance in secret.

In 1835, Schumann took notice of Wieck's daughter, who was by now a young and highly regarded concert pianist. The two musicians declared their love for each other, but Wieck forbade them to be together. He saw Schumann as a "penniless composer" and an unsuitable match for his daughter. Nevertheless, the young lovers continued to exchange letters and meet in secret. Schumann would often wait for hours just to see Clara for a few precious minutes following her performances.

In 1837, Schumann proposed to Clara, but Wieck refused to give his permission for the couple to marry. Clara was only 18 at the time, so she and Schumann petitioned the court to overrule her father's refusal. This sparked a long and bitter legal battle that played out over three years, with both sides filing suits against the other. Eventually, a judge ruled in favour of the couple, and they were married on 12 September 1840, the day before Clara's 21st birthday.

In the first year of their marriage, Schumann wrote more than 130 songs for voice and piano, inspired by his feelings for Clara during their courtship and their new life together. The couple went on to have eight children together. Clara continued her career as a concert pianist, often performing her husband's compositions across Europe. She was one of the first pianists to play her programs from memory. She was also the main breadwinner for the family, as her concert income was the main source of income for the household.

Schumann, meanwhile, composed prolifically, drawing inspiration from his wife. Many of his compositions included secret messages to Clara, such as thematic material that spelled her name or works dedicated to or named for her. He often included the interval of a downward fifth to represent her because it had been part of a theme in one of her compositions. The couple also kept a joint musical and personal diary, as Schumann was uncomfortable around crowds and found it difficult to express his thoughts verbally.

In 1854, Schumann suffered a mental breakdown and attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Rhine River. He was rescued and admitted to a sanatorium, where he spent the last two years of his life. Clara was not permitted to visit him during this time, as his doctor thought it would impede his recovery. Instead, she continued to give concerts and support the family.

Schumann died on 29 July 1856, at the age of 46. Clara was finally allowed to see him two days before his death, and he appeared to recognize her. After his death, she continued to perform and promote his music, ensuring his influence lived on in the works of composers such as Brahms, Edvard Grieg, and Béla Bartók. Clara outlived her husband by 40 years and never remarried. She died in 1896 and was buried alongside Robert in a small churchyard just outside Bonn.

His piano compositions

Robert Schumann was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic era. He composed prolifically for solo piano, and his works in this genre are considered some of his most important.

Schumann's first 26 published works were all for solo piano, and he continued to compose for the instrument throughout his life. His final composition, the Geistervariationen, was a set of variations for solo piano. In total, he wrote over 50 works for the piano, comprising hundreds of individual pieces and movements.

Schumann's piano works include:

• Variations on the name "Abegg" (1831-32)
• Papillons (1832)
• Carnaval (1835)
• Études symphoniques (1834-37)
• Davidsbündlertänze (1837)
• Scenes from Childhood (Kinderszenen) (1838)
• Kreisleriana (1838)
• Piano Concerto in A Minor (1841-45)
• Album for the Young (1849)

Schumann's piano compositions are considered highly original, pushing the boundaries of emotion, structure, and philosophy. They are largely programmatic, meaning they tell a story through music. His piano works are also known for their literary and autobiographical allusions, with many pieces built around references to his wife, Clara Schumann.

His other compositions

Schumann's compositions can be divided into three distinct periods. The first period, from 1829 to 1839, was a time of intense creativity and experimentation. During this time, he composed primarily for the piano, and his works from this period include the "Papillons", the "Carnaval", and the "Kinderszenen". These pieces often explored complex emotional themes and made use of innovative structural and harmonic ideas. For example, the "Carnaval" is a suite of piano pieces, each representing a different aspect of Carnival, with characters from the Commedia dell'arte making an appearance. This work showcases Schumann's mastery of the piano and his ability to create evocative, programmatic music.

The second period, from 1840 to 1850, marked a shift in Schumann's focus towards orchestral and choral compositions. He wrote his only piano concerto during this time, as well as his Symphony in D minor, and began work on his opera "Genoveva". This period also saw the composition of some of his most beloved choral works, including the "Requiem, Op. 148" and the "Advent Lied". These works demonstrated Schumann's growing maturity and mastery of larger forms and forces.

The third and final period, from 1850 until his death in 1856, was a time of struggle for Schumann due to his declining mental health. Despite this, he continued to compose and produced several significant works during these years, including the "Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in A minor, Op. 129" and the "Fantasy in C major, Op. 17". These compositions often reflect a deeper level of emotional complexity and intensity, perhaps influenced by his personal struggles.

In addition to his piano and orchestral works, Schumann also composed lieder (art songs) and chamber music. His lieder, such as the song cycles "Dichterliebe" and "Frauenliebe und -leben", are renowned for their expressive melodies and sensitive interpretation of poetry. Schumann's chamber music includes works like the "Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44" and the "Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47", which are considered staples of the chamber music repertoire.

Overall, Schumann's compositions are characterized by their emotional depth, poetic sensibility, and innovative use of form and harmony. His works have had a profound influence on subsequent generations of composers and continue to be celebrated and performed regularly today. His contribution to the Romantic era in music is undeniable, and his legacy is that of a composer who truly understood and expressed the depths of the human soul through his music.

Lastly, it is worth noting that Schumann's wife, Clara Schumann, was herself a renowned pianist and composer. The couple often influenced and inspired each other's work, and Clara was a passionate advocate for her husband's music throughout her life.

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