Essay About Clara Wieck And Robert

Robert Schumann Essay Notes
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1810-1856
Born in Germany
Son of a bookseller who loved literature
Mother made him study law
Wanted to be a pianist
Finally convinced his mother to let him go to U of Leipzig to study with Friedrich Wieck
Practiced hard, but had physical difficulties
Fingers in right hand ended hopes as a performer
Turned to composing
Established an important publication
Neue Zeitschrift fДјr Musik
The New Journal for Music
Became the leading journals of music criticism in Europe
Began to court Clara Wieck (composer), his piano teacher’s daughter
Her father opposed the marriage
Became even psychopathic about the objection
The two appealed the courts and married anyway (Clara was 21, Robert was 30) in 1840
1840 was the ***Liederjahr***
The Year of the Song
Schumann produced over 100 of his Lieder in that one year
Clara — performed Robert’s piano works and contributed to the spread of his fame
Robert became very moody, however, and began to isolate himself from the world
1844, Robert had a severe breakdown
Couple moved to Dresden to help him recover
Seemed to help at first, but periods of depression returned more frequently
1850, Robert was appointed Music Director at DДјsseldorf, but was forced to quit because he was not suited for public life.
Experienced hallucinations
Story of him rising in the middle of the night to write down a theme that had been brought to him by the spirits of Schubert and Mendelssohn
This was his last melody
A week later, in a fit of depression, he threw himself into the Rhine River.