Clara Schumann, nee Clara Josephine Wieck, born on September 13, 1819, in Leipzig, Germany, is celebrated as one of the preeminent musicians of the Romantic era. She was a prodigious pianist from a young age, giving her first public concert at age nine and embarking on a distinguished performing career praised across Europe. Her father, Friedrich Wieck, was a notable piano teacher who provided her with a rigorous musical education.

Clara was not just a virtuoso performer; she was also a composer in her own right, though her compositional output was limited compared to her contemporary and husband, Robert Schumann. Despite the era's expectations and constraints on women, Clara's work as a composer included character pieces for piano, songs (Lieder), piano concertos, and chamber music, with her "3 Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22" being particularly celebrated. Her marriage to Robert was both a romantic and a musical partnership, as she often performed his works, contributed to his musical legacy, and was the first to play any new piece he composed. After Robert's early death, Clara devoted herself to preserving his work and promoting his legacy while continuing her own career as a performer. She also had a significant influence on Johannes Brahms and was a crucial figure in the Romantic musical canon. Clara Schumann's life extended from the height of Romanticism until her death on May 20, 1896, and her works continue to be celebrated for their lyrical beauty, emotional depth, and technical mastery.

Genres

Classical

Early Romantic Era

German Romanticism

Related Artists

Frédéric Chopin

Robert Schumann

Johannes Brahms

Felix Mendelssohn

Franz Liszt

Fanny Mendelssohn

Ludwig van Beethoven

Camille Saint-Saëns

Franz Schubert

Edvard Grieg

Carl Maria von Weber

Amy Beach

Latest Release

C. Schumann: 4 Pièces caractéristiques, Op. 5: No. 4, Scene Fantastique. Le Ballet des Revenants

Clara Schumann•

Sophia Vaillant

Single - Released November 1, 2024