Robert Schumann, the son of a bookseller, had to persuade his family to let him abandon his law studies so that he could become a professional pianist. Although his gifts were said to be remarkable, Schumann developed serious hand trouble that prevented him from pursuing a career as a virtuoso. Instead, he devoted his energies to composition, producing a rich legacy of music, most of which is still frequently performed. His first published works, the Abegg Variations and Papillons, date from around 1830 when the composer was only twenty years old. These works are already unmistakeably Schumannesque: lyrical, with quickly changing moods, searching, expressive harmonies and intricate textures that make use of the piano's full range of colors.

In the 1830s Schumann composed piano music almost exclusively. Some of his greatest and most popular works come from this astoundingly productive decade: the Davidsbündlertänze, the Toccata, Carnaval, the Fantasiestücke (Op. 12), the first version of the Symphonic Etudes, Kinderszenen, Kreisleriana, the great Fantasie in C, and his three piano sonatas. In 1834, Schumann founded a progressive journal about music, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik; he was its editor and chief writer for the next 10 years. It was during this time that Schumann fell in love with Clara Wieck, his teacher's daughter. Clara was a brilliant pianist and a gifted composer in her own right. But, her father was vehemently opposed to the match and did his best to keep the lovers apart. They were finally able to marry in 1840.

After his marriage to Clara, Schumann turned from writing piano music to writing "lieder" (art songs). In one year he wrote more than 100 songs, including the great song cycles, Dichterliebe, Frauenliebe und Leben, and the two sets of Liederkreis. The following year (1841) Schumann concentrated on orchestral music, composing his First Symphony (subtitled "Spring"), the original versions of what would later become his Fourth Symphony and the Piano Concerto. And in 1842, continuing the trend of focusing his creative energies into one genre, Schumann penned a slew of chamber works, including three String Quartets, the Piano Quartet and ever-popular Piano Quintet.

After these fertile, mostly happy years, Schumann began to suffer severe bouts of depression. He was less productive, though he still wrote some magnificent music. The Second Symphony was composed in 1846, the Third (known as the "Rhenish") along with the 'Cello Concerto in 1850. His health deteriorated in the early 1850s, and in 1854 he attempted suicide. He died in an asylum in 1856.

Schumann, one of the greatest composers of the Romantic period, was a daring experimentalist. He wrote effectively in the forms he inherited from the Classical period, but he also created new structures designed to fit the uinque characteristics of his style. It is in these exploratory works, such as the Fantasy in C and Dichterliebe, that Schumann created his most profound and moving music.