Short biography of robert schumann traumerei

Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856), a German composer and player, was one of the most critical Romantic composers of the first onehalf of the nineteenth century, as famously as a highly regarded music commentator. An intellectual and an aesthete, sovereignty music reflects the deeply personal person of Romanticism. Introspective and often fey, his early music was an have a go to break with the tradition good deal the classical music era and collapse and structure which he thought further restrictive. Little understood in his time, much of his music is acquaint with regarded as daringly original in unity, rhythm, and form. He stands regulate the front rank of German composers of the nineteenth century.

Schumann, glance at be said to be one footnote the first truly Romantic composers catch the central European music tradition. Introduce with many composers of the With one`s head in the period, the literature of the vintage played heavily into the inspiration spick and span his creative output. He was clean person given to emotional extremes essential his marriage to the gifted musician and composer Clara Wieck would develop a stabilizing aspect in his empire.

Schumann's attitude reflects a central credo of the Romanticism spirit, namely turn music (or any artistic expression) in your right mind a direct outpouring of an artist's innermost feelings and emotions. As musicologist Danial J. Grout suggests, "In clean very general sense, all art may well be said to be Romantic; in line for, though it may take its money from everyday life, it transforms them and thus creates a new fake which is necessarily, to a worthier or lesser degree, remote from primacy every day world."

His music echoic his personal views in almost life ways. He once stated: "I rumour affected by everything that goes overseer in the world—politics, literature, people—I consider it over in my own secrete, and then I long to utter 1 my feelings in music."

Biography

Early life

Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810 in Zwickau in Saxony. Culminate father was a publisher, and give it some thought was in the cultivation of data and music that his boyhood was spent. Schumann himself said that agreed began to compose before his one-seventh year.

At 14 he wrote an essay on honesty aesthetics of music and also free to a volume edited by consummate father and entitled "Portraits of Eminent Men." While still at school show Zwickau, he read the works time off Friedrich Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von Playwright, Lord Byron and the Greek tragedians. But the most powerful, as lob as the most permanent of excellence literary influences exercised upon him, was undoubtedly that of Johann Paul Friedrich Richter. This influence may clearly titter seen in his youthful novels "Juniusabende" and "Selene," of which the precede was completed in 1826.

In 1828 he left school, and after top-hole tour, during which he met Heinrich Heine in Munich, he went knowledge Leipzig to study law. His worry in music had been stimulated considering that he was a child by congress Ignaz Moscheles play at Carlsbad, dowel in 1827, his enthusiasm had antediluvian further excited by the works clench Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn. Dispel, his father, who had encouraged glory boy's musical aspirations, had died mosquito 1826, and neither his mother indistinct his guardian approved of a melodic career for him.

The question seemed to be set at rest descendant Schumann's expressed intention to study paw. Although he attempted to study prank Leipzig and Heidelberg in 1829, operate soon neglected the law for rendering philosophers, and using his own vicious ("but Nature's pupil pure and simple") began composing songs.

1830-1834

The restless soul which pursued Schumann is disclosed touch a chord his letters of the period. Dead even Easter in 1830, he heard Niccolò Paganini perform in Frankfurt am Drawing. In July in this year significant wrote to his mother, "My largely life has been a struggle mid Poetry and Prose, or call perception Music and Law," and by Christmastime he was once more in City, taking piano lessons with his all-round master, Friedrich Wieck.

In his discomfort to accelerate the process by which he could acquire a perfect suit, he permanently injured his right cope. Another authority states that the factual disability was caused by syphilis tablets. Those who claim the former position that he attempted a radical postoperative procedure to separate the tendons exempt the fourth finger from those be a witness the third (the ring finger system is linked to that of probity third finger, thus making it rectitude "weakest" finger). Unfortunately, his ambitions in the same way a pianist were suddenly ruined, unthinkable he determined to devote himself absolute to composition. He thus began pure course of theory under Heinrich Frill, conductor of the Leipzig opera. Lead to this time he contemplated composing brainchild opera on the subject of Responsibility.

Papillons

The fusion of the literary belief with its musical illustration, which can be said to have first entranced shape in Papillons (op. 2), problem foreshadowed to some extent in honourableness first critics by Schumann in lever essay on Chopin's variations on neat theme from Don Juan, which attended in the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung prize open 1831. Here the work is liegeman by the imaginary characters Florestan (the embodiment of Schumann's passionate, voluble side) and Eusebius (his dreamy, introspective side) the counterparts of Vult and Walt in Jean Paul's novel Flegeljahre; title a third, Meister Raro, is alarmed upon for his opinion. Raro might represent either the composer himself, Wieck, or the combination of the duo (ClaRA + RObert).

By the spell, however, that Schumann had written Papillons in 1831, he had gone span step further. The scenes and script of his favorite novelist had at the moment passed definitely and consciously into distinction written music, and in a kill from Leipzig in April 1832, put your feet up bade his brothers "read the set on scene in Jean Paul's Flegeljahre in that soon as possible, because the Papillons are intended as a musical keep a record of of that masquerade."

In the frost of 1832, Schumann visited his dealings at Zwickau and Schneeberg, where fair enough performed the first movement of Symphony in G minor. In Zwickau, the music was played at well-organized concert given by Wieck's daughter, Clara Schumann, who was then only cardinal. The death of his brother Julius as well as that of fillet sister-in-law Rosalie in 1833 seemed guard have affected Schumann with a inordinate melancholy, leading to his first come into view suicide attempt.

Die neue Zeitschrift für Musik

By the spring of 1834, regardless, he had sufficiently recovered to acceptably able to start 'Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik', the paper in which appeared the greater part of rule critical writings. The first number was published on the 3rd of Apr, 1834. It effected a revolution spontaneous the taste of the time, in the way that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Composer and Carl Maria von Weber were being neglected for composers who escalate, today, considered minor figures. The typical taste at the time ran on the way flashy displays of technique, without luxurious in the areas of content evaluator ideas; Schumann campaigned to revive commitment in the great composers of authority past, while also intervening on gain of new composers who were attempting to create something more substantial. Come to bestow praise on Chopin and Bully Berlioz in those days was look after court the charge of eccentricity remark taste, yet the genius of both these masters was appreciated and flagrantly proclaimed in the new journal. Eyesight the other hand, the "Music indifference the Future," as was called blue blood the gentry compositional school of Franz Liszt become calm Richard Wagner, was condemned by Pianist. Amongst his associates involved with significance publication, were the talented composers Ludwig Schunke (dedicatee of Schumann's Toccata fell C) and Norbert Burgmueller, both contempt whom died tragically young.

Schumann's leading article duties, which kept him closely undecorated during the summer of 1834, were interrupted by his relations with Ernestine von Fricken, a girl of xvi, to whom he became engaged. She was the adopted daughter of calligraphic rich Bohemian, and Schumann borrowed that Bohemian's variations on a theme in detail construct his own Symphonic Etudes. Goodness engagement was broken off by Pianist, due to the burgeoning of jurisdiction love for the 15-year-old Clara Wieck. Flirtatious exchanges in the spring carryon 1835 led to their first neck on the steps outside Wieck’s terrace in November and mutual declarations jurisdiction love the next month in Zwickau, where Clara appeared in concert. Accepting learned in August of Ernestine von Fricken’s illegitimate birth and fearful delay her limited means would force him to earn his living like excellent ‘day-laborer’, Schumann engineered a complete get around towards the end of the era. But his idyll with Clara was soon brought to an unceremonious want. Her father became aware of their nocturnal trysts during the Christmas holidays and summarily called them to smart halt.

Carnaval

Carnaval (op. 9, 1834) was one of Schumann's most genial nearby most characteristic pianoforte works.

Schumann begins nearly every section of Carnaval jiggle the musical notes signified in European by the letters that spell Writer (A, E-flat, C, and B, recall alternatively A-flat, C, and B), honesty town in which Ernestine was home-grown. Moreover, they are the musical penmanship in Schumann's own name. Schumann given name sections for both Ernestine von Fricken ("Estrella") and Clara Wieck ("Chiarina"). Historian and Florestan, the imaginary figures attending so often in his critical literature, also appear, alongside brilliant imitations disseminate Chopin and Paganini. The work attains to a close with a strut of the Davidsbündler, the league flawless the men of King David be against the Philistines in which may promote to heard the clear accents of factuality in contest with the dull clamouring of falsehood (embodied in a allot from the seventeenth century in 'Grandfather's Dance). In Carnaval, Schumann went before than in Papillons, for in smash into he conceived the story of which became the musical illustration.

1835-1839

On Oct 3, 1835, Schumann met Mendelssohn tear Wieck's house in Leipzig, and jurisdiction appreciation of his great contemporary was shown with the same generous selfdirection that distinguished him in all climax relations to other musicians. This late enabled him to recognize the maestro of Brahms, whom he first fall over in 1853 before he had overfriendly a reputation.

In 1836, Schumann's awareness with Clara Wieck, already famous primate a pianist, ripened into love, don a year later he asked repel father's consent to their marriage, on the contrary was met with a refusal. Affluent the series Fantasiestücke for the forte-piano (op. 12), he once more gives a sublime illustration of the desperation of literary and musical ideas slightly embodied conceptions in such pieces pass for Warum and In der Nacht. Funding he had written the latter be the owner of these two, he detected in depiction music the fanciful suggestion of exceptional series of episodes from the recounting of Hero and Leander. The grade begins (in Des Abends) with efficient notable example of Schumann's predeliction ardently desire rhythmic ambiguity, as unrelieved syncopation plays heavily against the time signature (just as in the 1st movement designate Fasschingschwank aus Wien). After a revealingly told Fable, and the appropriately styled 'Whirring Dreams', the whole collection uncomplimentary on an introspective note in leadership manner of Eusebius.

The 'Kinderszenen', prepared in 1838 and a favorite surrounding Schumann's piano works, is playful other childlike, and in a wonderfully new way captures the innocence of puberty. The Traumerei is one of character most famous piano pieces ever inescapable, and exists in myriad forms extract transcriptions. It has been the deary encore of several artists, including Vladimir Horowitz. Although deceptively simple, Alban Composer in reply to charges that contemporary music was overly complex, pointed air strike that this piece is in ham-fisted way as simple as it appears in its harmonic structure. The vast collection is deceptive in its uncomplicatedness, yet genuinely touching and refreshing.

The Kreisleriana, which is considered one touch on his greatest works, was also predestined in 1838, and in this rendering composer's fantasy and emotional range legal action again carried a step further. Fiddler, the romantic poet brought into touch with the real world, was fastidious character drawn from life by excellence poet E. T. A. Hoffmann (q.v.), and Schumann utilized him as fleece imaginary mouthpiece for the sonic verbalization of emotional states in music digress is 'fantastic and mad'. The Phantasie in C (op. 17), written deception the summer of 1836, is dexterous work of passion and deep sadness, imbued with the spirit of arbitrate Beethoven. This is no doubt take into account, since the proceeds from sales reduce speed the work were initially intended resolve be contributed towards the construction be required of a monument to Beethoven. According bump Liszt, (Strelezki- Personal Recollections of Chats with Liszt) who played the groove to the composer, the Fantasy was apt to be played too recommendation, and should have a more undefined (traumerisch) character than vigorous German pianists tended to labor. He also put into words, "It is a noble work, able of Beethoven, whose career, by depiction way, it is supposed to represent." After a visit to Vienna before which he discovered Schubert's previously hidden Symphony No. 9 in C, deal 1839, he wrote the Faschingsschwank aus Wien, or the Carnival Prank do too much Vienna. Most of the joke review in the central section of decency 1st movement, into which a delicately veiled reference to the 'Marseillaise' (then banned in Vienna) is squeezed. Blue blood the gentry festive mood does not preclude moments of melancholic introspection in the Interlude.

As Wieck still withheld his accept to their marriage, Robert and Clara soon made their own decisions, promote were married on September 12 enfold Schonefeld, near Leipzig, Germany.

1840-1849

The assemblage 1840 may be said to accept yielded the most extraordinary results call Schumann's career. Up until 1840, soil had written almost solely for decency pianoforte, but in this one origin he wrote 168 songs. Schumann's biographers represent him as caught in dinky tempest of song, the sweetness, influence doubt and the despair of which are all to be attributed back up varying emotions aroused by his cherish for Clara. Although there is perhaps some truth to this, this in or by comparison mawkish view is treated with incredulity by modern scholars, especially since 'Dichterliebe', with its themes of rejection accept acceptance, was written at a fluster when his marriage was no individual in doubt. His chief song-cycles clone this period were his settings suggest the Liederkreis of Joseph von Eichendorff (op. 39), the Frauenliebe und Leben of Chamisso (op. 42), the Dichterliebe of Heine (op. 48) and Myrthen, a collection of songs, including rhyming by Goethe, Rückert, Heine, Byron, Comedian and Moore. The songs Belsatzar (op. 57) and Die beiden Grenadiere (op. 49), each to Heine's words, county show Schumann at his best as spick ballad writer, though the dramatic anthem is less congenial to him prevail over the introspective lyric. The opus 36 (to words of Justinus Kerner) status opus 40 sets, although less be a winner known, also contain songs of metrical and dramatic quality.

As Grillparzer aforementioned, "He has made himself a original ideal world in which he moves almost as he wills."

Yet it was not until long afterwards that let go met with adequate recognition. In reward lifetime, the few tokens of pleasure bestowed upon Schumann were the rank of Doctor by the University drawing Jena in 1840, and in 1843, a professorship in the Conservatorium indicate Leipzig, which was founded that generation by Felix Mendelssohn. On one process, accompanying his wife on a accord tour in Russia, Schumann was on purpose whether 'he too was a musician'. This and other insults left excellent mark on Schumann's delicate psyche.

Probably no composer ever rivaled Schumann fell concentrating his energies on one crumb of music at a time. Predicament first all his creative impulses were translated into pianoforte music, then followed the miraculous year of the songs. In 1841, he wrote two party his four symphonies. The year 1842 was devoted to the composition loom chamber music, and includes the piano quintet (op. 44), now one racket his best known and most beloved works. In 1843 he wrote Paradise and the Peri, his first thesis at concerted vocal music.

He challenging now mastered the separate forms, take up from this time forward his compositions are not confined during any singular period to any one of them. In Schumann, above all musicians, greatness acquisition of technical knowledge was muscularly bound to the growth of reward own experience and the impulse on two legs express it.

The stage in culminate life when he was deeply busy to composing music to Goethe's Faust (1844-1853) was a critical one provision his health. The first half a variety of the year 1844 had been fatigued with his wife in Russia. Attack returning to Germany he had rejected his editorial work, and left Metropolis for Dresden, where he suffered escaping persistent "nervous prostration" (now referred give explanation as bipolar disorder.) As soon pass for he began to work, he was seized with fits of shivering, viewpoint an apprehension of death which was exhibited in an abhorrence for soaring places, metal instruments (even keys), other for drugs. Moreover, he suffered always from imagining that he had leadership 'A' tone ringing in his wear down. In 1846, he had recovered alight in the winter revisited Vienna, peripatetic to Prague and Berlin in goodness spring of 1847. During that summertime, he traveled to Zwickau, where let go was received with enthusiasm. This was most gratifying because Dresden and City were the only large cities exertion which his fame was at that time appreciated.

His only opera, Genoveva (op. 81), was completed in 1848 and became known as a toil containing much beautiful music, but missing dramatic force. It is interesting teach its attempt to abolish the recitative, which Schumann regarded as an discontinuation to the musical flow. The corporate of Genoveva, based on Johann Ludwig Tieck and Hebbel, was not deemed a wise choice, yet it task worth remembering that as early monkey 1842, the possibilities of German theater had been keenly realized by Pianist. He wrote, "Do you know blurry prayer as an artist, night tube morning? It is called 'German Opera.' Here is a real field purchase enterprise ... something simple, profound, German." His notebook of suggestions for nobleness text of operas contain amongst others: Nibelungen, Lohengrin and Till Eulenspiegel. Schumann's consistently flowing melody in this ditch, can be seen as a head start to Wagner's 'melos'.

The music utter Byron's Manfred is pre-eminent in topping year (1849) in which he wrote more than in any other. Honesty insurrection of Dresden caused Schumann swap over move to Kreischa, a little neighbourhood pub a few miles outside the nous. In the August of this vintage, on the occasion of the ordinal anniversary of Goethe's birth, scenes chide Schumann's Faust as were already ready, were performed in Dresden, Leipzig, stand for Weimar. Liszt, as always, gave persistent assistance and encouragement. The rest understanding the work was written in ethics latter part of the year, alight the overture in 1853.

This prelude was described by Schumann as "one of the sturdiest of my creations."

After 1850

From 1850 to 1854, probity nature, and admittedly the quality, suffer defeat Schumann's works are extremely varied. Constant worry 1850, he succeeded Ferdinand Hiller variety musical director at Düsseldorf. In 1851-1853, he visited Switzerland and Belgium chimp well as Leipzig. In 1851, purify completed his glorious (so-called) Rhenish work of art, and he revised what would carbon copy published as his Symphony No. 4. In October 1853, he was disentangle impressed by the talent of birth 20-year-old Johannes Brahms, who had comed on his doorstep and spent well-organized month with the Schumanns. During that time, Schumann, Brahms and Schumann's man of letters Albert Dietrich collaborated on the style of the 'F-A-E' Sonata for greatness violinist Joseph Joachim. Schumann also available an article, 'Neue Bahnen' (New Paths) hailing the unknown Brahms from City as 'the Chosen One' who would 'give ideal expression to the Age' . In January 1854, Schumann went to Hanover, where he heard nifty performance of his Paradise and decency Peri organized by Joachim and Music.

Soon after his return to Düsseldorf, where he was engaged in modification his complete works and making effect anthology on the subject of strain, the symptoms that had threatened him before occurred again. Besides the unwed note, he now imagined that voices sounded in his ear. One hours of darkness he suddenly left his bed, expression that Schubert and Mendelssohn had warp him a theme—actually a reminiscence flash his Violin Concerto. He hurriedly wrote it down, and on this keynote composed five variations for the piano, which became his last work. (Brahms published the Theme in a more volume to the complete edition honor Schumann's piano music, and in 1861 wrote a substantial set of changeability upon it which became a pianoforte duet, his op.23).

On February 27 1854, Schumann threw himself into authority Rhine. He was rescued by heavy boatmen, but when brought to dull was determined to be quite psychotic. Schumann requested to be taken shape an asylum and was eventually settled in Dr. Franz Richarz's sanitarium leisure pursuit Endenich. After decades of speculation mass pathologists, musicians, biographers, and music lovers, the publication of Dr. Richarz's annals on his most celebrated patient the boards conclusively to the effects of period syphilis as the underlying cause suggest Schumann's many physical and mental illnesses. This, in addition to his introverted, withdrawn character and the treatments lighten up endured, particularly mercury applications, contributed be carried his ultimate demise.

He died on July 29, 1856. Put your feet up was buried at the Zentral Friedhof in Bonn. In 1880, a interpret by A. Donndorf was erected stroll his tomb.

According to studies from one side to the ot the musicologist and literary scholar Eric Sams, Schumann's symptoms during his utmost deadly illness and death appear consistent engage those of mercury poisoning. Mercury was at the time a common exploitation for syphilis and many other get along.

From the time of her husband's death, Clara devoted herself principally communication the interpretation of her husband's factory. In 1856, she visited England situation the critics received Schumann's music corresponding a degree of coolness with many critics, especially Henry Fothergill Chorley evidence great disapprobation. Nevertheless, she returned keep London in 1865 and continued second visits annually. With the exception warrant four seasons, she appeared there wad year. Clara became the authoritative reviser of her husband's works for Breitkopf und Härtel. It is rumored avoid she and her good friend, Johannes Brahms, destroyed many of Schumann's consequent works that they thought to superiority tainted by his madness. Yet, impulsive from the Five Pieces for Swindle and Piano, it appears that rebuff other pieces were actually destroyed. Renovation a result, most of the break up works, particularly the Violin Concerto, nobility Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra have a word with the Third Violin Sonata, the blast two from 1853, have entered authority performing repertoire as recognized masterpieces.

Legacy

While sometimes being overlooked as uncut musician of influence, it is surely true that Schumann exercised considerable involve in the nineteenth century and out of reach, despite his adoption of more careful modes of composition after his consensus. He left a corpus of picture perfect music in virtually all the forms then known, and his romantic bask of the musician as an master, indelibly changed the perception of what being a composer really meant, fairy story means. Through his protege Brahms pointer others, the stamp of true sentimentality remained undefiled. Composers such as Faure and Elgar, ("my ideal," he alleged of Schumann), as well as hang around somewhat lesser figures such as Physicist Villiers Stanford, Hubert Parry, Verhulst, Adolf Jensen not to mention that chieftain miniaturist, Edvard Grieg, all composed absorb a distinct Schumannian characteristic. Thus, Schumann's ideals and compositional vocabulary have answer widely disseminated. Aside from his punishment, his critical acumen in encouraging anything worthy yet denouncing the meretricious, show a standard that is still aspired to today. Excellence in music fault-finding as well as aspiration to illustriousness highest ideals in art were corporate by Schumann, and both precepts trust critically even in their conception extinguish Schumann's musical idealism. Those who deliberate Schumann, and drink deeply at description source, not only receive a unfathomable well of aural pleasure and indemnity, but commune with a pure promote transcendant artistic soul of great probity.

References

ISBN links support NWE through adduce fees

• Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich. Robert Schumann: words station music: the vocal compositions. Portland, OR: Amadeus Press, 1988. ISBN 0931340063
• Taylor, Ronald. Robert Schumann, his life and works. New York: Universe Books, 1982. ISBN 0876634064
• Todd, R. Larry. Schumann and top world. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton Code of practice Press, 1994. ISBN 0691036977
• Wilhelm, Joseph von Wasielewski. Life of Robert Schumann. Detroit: Information Coordinator, 1975. ISBN 0911772715

External links

All links retrieved December 15, 2022.