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Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856) Background Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau, Saxony, in 1810, son of a bookseller, publisher, and writer. He showed an early interest in literature, and in his teens wrote poetry and contributed to his father's publications. At age seven he began learning the piano. In accordance with the wishes of his parents, he entered the University of Leipzig in 1828 as a law student, but his main interests were music and Romantic literature. In 1829, he began piano lessons with the famous teacher Friedrich Wieck, whose daughter Clara was a promising young piano virtuoso. During the 1830s, Schumann composed many piano works, mostly shorter pieces with extra-musical or autobiographical connotations. He also continued his literary career, launching the music journal Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik in 1834. |
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Early tribulations In 1832, Schumann's career as a concert pianist was halted by a weakness of the fingers. The cause of this injury has been subject to much debate. There are two theories: either that it was the result of mercury treatment for syphilis he had contracted from a servant-girl, or caused by a mechanical device he used to strengthen the fourth finger. Friedrich Wieck, who had always disapproved of Schumann's affections for Clara, refused to give his consent when Schumann formally asked for Clara's hand in marriage. This started a bitter legal battle that lasted three years. Eventually in 1840 they married with the permission of the court. Their early marital bliss inspired Schumann to write a stream of masterly song-cycles, including Frauenliebe und Leben (A Woman's Love and Life) and Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love). Symphonic beginnings Schumann made his first attempts at symphonic writing in 1829, with two movements of a symphony in G minor, which was to remain unfinished. His official First Symphony, the 'Spring', was sketched in just four days, and fully orchestrated by 20th February, 1841. His D minor symphony, now known as the Fourth, was completed on 9th September. Other works completed during this time include the Overture, Scherzo, and Finale for orchestra, and the Fantasie in A minor for piano and orchestra (which was later to become the first movement of his Piano Concerto). Schumann's frequent attacks of severe depression, combined with his alcoholism, put his marriage under considerable strain. After a brief period of teaching composition at the Leipzig Conservatory, the Schumanns moved to Dresden in 1844. The year 1846 saw the completion of the Second Symphony, and in 1850 they moved to Dusseldorf, where Schumann had been appointed as a conductor. He was insecure about his conducting abilities, and was not successful in the position. A visit to Cologne and its magnificent cathedral inspired him to write the Third Symphony, the 'Rhenish', which was completed on 9th December, 1850. Disintegration In 1853, Schumann met the young Johannes Brahms, hailing him as a genius. In the same year he composed his D minor Violin Concerto for the violinist Joseph Joachim. Joachim stated that he 'could not help feeling a certain fatigue' in the work. Schumann's mental health deteriorated, and he attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Rhine. He survived and was taken to an asylum where he died insane in 1856. Clara suppressed several unpublished works, including the Violin Concerto, feeling them to be musically inadequate. Schumann is perhaps the personification of Romantic ideals. His life was essentially a tragic struggle against depression, alcoholism, and insanity. In his writings and compositions, he gave himself several personalities: the impetuous Florestan, Eusebius the dreamer, and Raro the rationalist. They can all be heard in his music, which combines his own uniquely dreamy, almost hallucinatory, Romanticism with Classical structure. His symphonies contain some of the most spontaneously joyful music ever written. Once criticised for their unconventional orchestration, they are again enjoying the popularity that they deserve. Back to top of page |
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