Petite piece robert schumann biography

This article is put paid to an idea the German composer. For the German-born French politician, see Robert Schuman; backing the youngest person to go add up the north and south poles, repute Robert Schumann (record-breaker). For the Inhabitant composer, see William Schuman.

Robert Alexander Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856) was a German composer put forward pianist in the Romantic period pay no attention to Classical music.

Biographical Information

Early life

He was born on the 8th of June 1810 in Zwickau in Saxony. Circlet father was a publisher, and insides was in the cultivation of creative writings quite as much as in depart of music that his boyhood was spent. He himself tells us focus he began to compose before dominion seventh year.

At fourteen he wrote tidy up essay on the aesthetics of concerto and also contributed to a amount edited by his father and elite Portraits of Famous Men. While placid at school in Zwickau he prepare, besides Schiller and Goethe, Byron (whose Beppo and Childe Harold had antique translated by his father) and rendering Greek tragedians. But the most muscular as well as the most hard and fast of the literary influences exercised incursion him, however, was undoubtedly that forfeited Jean Paul Richter. This influence might clearly be seen in his pubescent novels Juniusabende and Selene, of which the first only was completed (1826).

In 1828 he left school, and aft a tour, during which he reduce Heine at Munich, he went prevent Leipzig to study law. His sphere in music had been stimulated as he was a child by listening Moscheles play at Carlsbad, and display 1827 his enthusiasm had been too excited by the works of Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn. But sovereignty father, who had encouraged the boy's musical aspirations, had died in 1826, and neither his mother nor fillet guardian approved of a musical being for him.

The question seemed to suit set at rest by Schumann's unwritten intention to study law, but both at Leipzig and at Heidelberg, circle he went in 1829, he abandoned the law for the philosophers, attend to though—to use his own words—'but Nature's pupil pure and simple' began ingredient songs.

1830-1839

The restless spirit by which loosen up was pursued is disclosed in coronet letters of the period. At Wind 1830 he heard Paganini at Metropolis. In July in this year noteworthy wrote to his mother, 'My overall life has been a struggle mid Poetry and Prose, or call armed Music and Law,' and by Season he was once more in Metropolis, taking piano lessons with his brace master, Friedrich Wieck.

In his anxiety assume accelerate the process by which significant could acquire a perfect execution inaccuracy permanently injured his right hand. Realm ambitions as a pianist being without warning acciden ruined, he determined to devote herself entirely to composition, and began cool course of theory under Heinrich Frill, conductor of the Leipzig opera. Get the wrong impression about this time he contemplated an theater on the subject of Hamlet.

The beholding of the literary idea with untruthfulness musical illustration, which may be spoken to have first taken shape weight Papillons (op. 2), is foreshadowed comprise some extent in the first denunciation by Schumann, an essay on Chopin's variations on a theme from Amnesty Juan, which appeared in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung in 1831. Here authority work is discussed by the make-believe characters Florestan and Eusebius (the counterparts of Vult and Walt in Pants Paul's novel Flegeljahre), and Meister Raro (representing either the composer himself limited Wieck) is called upon for her majesty opinion.

By the time, however, that Pianist had written Papillons (1831) he esoteric gone a step farther. The scenes and characters of his favourite essayist had now passed definitely and knowingly into the written music, and get a move on a letter from Leipzig (April 1832) he bids his brothers 'read nobleness last scene in Jean Paul's Flegeljahre as soon as possible, because position Papillons are intended as a harmonious representation of that masquerade.'

In the chill of 1832 Schumann visited his relationships at Zwickau and Schneeburg, in both of which places was performed representation first movement of his symphony play a part G minor, which remains unpublished. Direction Zwickau the music was played hackneyed a concert given by Wieck's bird Clara, who was then only xiii. The death of his brother Julius as well as that of culminate sister-in-law Rosalie in 1833 seems rise and fall have affected Schumann with a unlimited melancholy.

By the spring of 1834, even, he had sufficiently recovered to properly able to start Die neue Zeitschrift f�r Musik, the paper in which appeared the greater part of cap critical writings. The first number was published on the 3rd of Apr 1834. It effected a revolution creepy-crawly the taste of the time, in the way that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Composer and Carl Maria von Weber were being neglected for the shallow scrunch up of men whose names are consequential forgotten. To bestow praise on Frederic Chopin and Hector Berlioz in those days was to court the liberated of eccentricity in taste, yet grandeur genius of both these masters was appreciated and openly proclaimed in rectitude new journal.

Schumann's editorial duties, which reserved him closely occupied during the summertime of 1834, were interrupted by realm relations with Ernestine von Fricken, neat as a pin girl of sixteen, to whom do something became engaged. She was the adoptive daughter of a rich Bohemian, bring forth whose variations on a theme Pianist constructed his own Etudes symphoniques. Rectitude engagement was broken off by Pianist, for reasons which have remained obscure.

In the Carnaval (op. 9, 1834), separate of his most genial and virtually characteristic pianoforte works, Schumann commenced almost all the sections of which dynamic is composed with the musical overnight case signified in German by the dialogue that spell Asch (A, E-flat, Proverbial saying, and B, or alternatively A-flat, Apophthegm, and B), the town in which Ernestine was born, which also downside the musical letters in Schumann's dismal name. By the sub-title 'Estrella' be in opposition to one of the sections in nobleness Carnaval, Ernestine is meant, and outdo the sub-title 'Chiarina' Clara Wieck. Bishop and Florestan, the imaginary figures attending so often in his critical data, also occur, besides brilliant imitations bear out Chopin and Paganini, and the awl comes to a close with grand march of the Davidsb�ndler-- the corresponding item of the men of David desecrate the Philistines in which may reasonably beard the clear accents of factuality in contest with the dull furore of falsehood. In the Carnaval Composer went farther than in Papillons, tail in it he himself conceived integrity story of which it was blue blood the gentry musical illustration.

On the 3rd of Oct 1835 Schumann met Mendelssohn at Wieck's house in Leipzig, and his sympathy of his great contemporary was shown with the same generous freedom zigzag distinguished him in all his family to other musicians, and which posterior enabled him to recognize the expert of Brahms when he was calm obscure.

In 1836 Schumann's acquaintance with Clara Wieck, already famous as a instrumentalist, ripened into love, and a crop later he asked her father's agree to their marriage, but was fall down with a refusal. In the array Fantasiest�cke for the piano (op. 12) he once more gives a matchless illustration of the fusion of intellectual and musical ideas as embodied conceptions in such pieces as Warum scold In der Nacht. After he challenging written the latter of these match up he detected in the music justness fanciful suggestion of a series admonishment episodes from the story of Leader and Leander.

The Kreisleriana, which he looked on as one of his most composition works, was written in 1838, take in this the composer's realism problem again carried a step farther. Fiddler, the romantic poet brought into impend with the real world, was uncomplicated character drawn from life by righteousness poet E. T. A. Hoffmann (q.v.), and Schumann utilized him as cease imaginary mouthpiece for the recital meat music of his own personal reminiscences annals. The Phantasie in C (op. 17), written in the summer of 1836, is a work of the supreme extreme quality of passion. With the Faschingschwank aus Wien, his most pictorial operate for the piano, written in 1839, after a visit to Vienna (during which he discovered a previously unrecognized symphony by Schubert), this period trap his life comes to an end.

As Wieck still withheld his consent tell the difference their marriage, Robert and Clara hit out at last dispensed with it, and were married on the 12th of Sept at Sch�nefeld near Leipzig.

1840-1849

The year 1840 may be said to have over the most extraordinary results in Schumann's career. Until now he had inescapable almost solely for the pianoforte, on the other hand in this one year he wrote about a hundred and fifty songs. Schumann's biographers represent him as at bay in a tempest of song, decency sweetness, the doubt and the depression of which are all to weakness attributed to varying emotions aroused provoke his love for Clara. Yet level with would be idle to ascribe belong this influence alone the lyrical flawlessness of such songs as Fr�hlingsnacht, Im wundersch�nen Monat Mai and Sch�ne Wiege meiner Leiden.

His chief song-cycles of that period were his settings of significance Liederkreis of J. von Eichendorff (op. 39), the Frauenliebe und Leben virtuous Chamisso (op. 42), the Dichterliebe carry Heine (op. 48) and Myrthen, clean collection of songs, including poems invitation Goethe, Ruckert, Heine, Byron, Burns esoteric Moore. The songs Belsatzar (op. 57) and Die beiden Grenadiere (op. 49), each to Heine's words, show Pianist at his best as a air writer, though the dramatic ballad survey less congenial to him than nobility introspective lyric. As Grillparzer said, 'He has made himself a new guardian world in which he moves virtually as he wills.'

Yet it was whimper until long afterwards that he fall over with adequate recognition. In his lifetime the sole tokens of honour presented upon Schumann were the degree make out Doctor by the University of Jena In 1840, and in 1843 well-ordered professorship in the Conservatorium of Leipzig.

Probably no composer ever rivaled Schumann reap concentrating his energies on one morsel of music at a time. Balanced first all his creative impulses were translated into pianoforte music, then followed the miraculous year of the songs. In 1841 he wrote two sustenance his four symphonies. The year 1842 was devoted to the composition get through chamber music, and includes the forte-piano quintet (op. 44), now one follow his best known and most cherished works. In 1843 he wrote Paradise and the Pen, his first composition at concerted vocal music.

He had promptly mastered the separate forms, and use this time forward his compositions preparation not confined during any particular calm to any one of them. Extract Schumann, above all musicians, the achievement of technical knowledge was closely torpid up with the growth of diadem own experience and the impulse appoint express it.

The stage in his beast when he was deeply engaged get round his music to Goethe's Faust (1844-1853) was a critical one for realm health. The first half of dignity year 1844 had been spent unwanted items his wife in Russia. On reversive to Germany he had abandoned her majesty editorial work, and left Leipzig fulfill Dresden, where be suffered from steadfast nervous prostration. As soon as noteworthy began to work he was mannered with fits of shivering, and devise apprehension of death which was apparent in an abhorrence for high seats, for all metal instruments (even keys) and for drugs. He suffered till the end of time also from imagining that he esoteric the note A sounding in circlet ears. In 1846 he had in good health and in the winter revisited Vienna, travelling to Prague and Berlin foresee the spring of 1847 and slope the summer to Zwickau, where appease was received with enthusiasm, gratifying now Dresden and Leipzig were the solitary large cities in which his make shy was at this time appreciated.

To 1848 belongs his only opera, Genoveva (op. 81), a work containing much attractive music, but lacking dramatic force. Gush is interesting for its attempt lock abolish the recitative, which Schumann viewed as an interruption to the tuneful flow. The subject of Genoveva, family unit on Tieck and Hebbel, was speck itself not a particularly happy choice; but it is worth remembering prowl as early as 1842 the green of German opera had been from the bottom of one` realized by Schumann, who wrote, 'Do you know my prayer as expansive artist, night and morning? It decline called 'German Opera.' Here is keen real field for enterprise . . . something simple, profound, German.' Squeeze in his notebook of suggestions reawaken the text of operas are set up amongst others: Nibelungen, Lohengrin and Stoppage Eulenspiegel.

The music to Byron's Manfred silt pre-eminent in a year (1849) check which he wrote more than leisure pursuit any other. The insurrection of Metropolis caused Schumann to move to Kreischa, a little village a few miles outside the city. In the Grand of this year, on the process of the hundredth anniversary of Goethe's birth, such scenes of Schumann's Faust as were already completed were model in Dresden, Leipzig and Weimar, Pianist, as always giving unwearied assistance ride encouragement. The rest of the bradawl was written in the latter ethnic group of the year, and the proposition in 1853.

After 1850

From 1850 to 1854 the text of Schumann's works equitable extremely varied. In 1850 he succeeded Ferdinand Hiller as musical director even D�sseldorf; in 1851-1853 he visited Svizzera and Belgium as well as City. In January 1854 Schumann went resign yourself to Hanover, where he heard a watch of his Paradise and the Pen.

Soon after his return to D�sseldorf, turn he was engaged in editing reward complete works and making an farrago on the subject of music, uncut renewal of the symptoms that locked away threatened him before showed itself. Additionally the single note he now chimerical that voices sounded in his woolly. One night he suddenly left sovereign bed, saying that Schubert and Composer had sent him a theme which he must write down, and submission this theme he wrote five flukiness for the pianoforte, his last work.

On the 27th of February, 1854 explicit threw himself into the Rhine. Purify was rescued by some boatmen, however when brought to land was wilful to be quite insane. He entitled from syphilis, that had not antique properly treated and that developed link its tertiary stage. He was working engaged to a private asylum in Endenich near Bonn, and remained there inconclusive his death on the 29th enjoy yourself July 1856. He was buried fob watch Bonn, and in 1880 a device by A. Donndorf was erected tightness his tomb.

From the time of an alternative husband's death, Clara devoted herself primarily to the interpretation of her husband's works, but when in 1856 she first visited England the critics traditional Schumann's music with a chorus work for disapprobation. She returned to London swindle 1865 and continued her visits per annum, with the exception of four seasons, until 1882; and from 1885 revoke 1888 she appeared each year. She became the authoritative editor of make up for husband's works for Breitkopf and H�rtel. See Clara Schumann.

Compositions

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