Robert Schumann Free Sheet Music, Program Notes, Recordings and Biography

The Poet of the Piano

In his early twenties, Robert Schumann burned with a single ambition: to become the greatest concert pianist in all of Europe. Impatient with his progress, he invented a mechanical contraption designed to strengthen his fourth finger, hoping it would grant him a shortcut to virtuosity. The device was a catastrophe. Instead of strengthening his hand, it permanently damaged the ligaments, crippling his finger and ending his dreams of a concert career before they had even begun. For the aspiring virtuoso, it was a tragedy. For the world of music, however, it was a blessing in disguise. Forced to abandon the stage, Schumann poured all his ferocious passion, literary imagination, and poetic soul into composition, becoming one of the most original and beloved voices of the Romantic era.

A Passion for Literature and a Reluctant Law Student

Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau, Germany, the son of a bookseller and publisher. His father nurtured his dual passions for music and literature, and the young Robert grew up devouring the works of Romantic poets and authors, especially the wildly imaginative novels of Jean Paul. This literary sensibility would infuse his music for the rest of his life. After his father's death, his mother, concerned about the precarious life of a musician, pushed him to study law at the University of Leipzig.

Schumann was a miserable and indifferent law student. He spent his time at concerts, writing poetry, and taking piano lessons with a notoriously demanding teacher named Friedrich Wieck. He eventually convinced his mother to let him abandon law and pursue music full-time under Wieck's tutelage. It was in the Wieck household that he met his teacher's daughter, a nine-year-old piano prodigy named Clara.

The Fateful Injury and the Birth of a Composer

After the hand injury shattered his performance career, Schumann dedicated himself to composing and to another of his great talents: writing. In 1834, he co-founded the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Journal for Music), an influential publication he edited for a decade. He became one of the great music critics of his time, writing under the guise of his two famous alter egos: the fiery, impulsive Florestan and the gentle, introspective Eusebius. These characters, representing the two sides of his own personality, also appeared in his music. Through his journal, he championed his contemporaries, famously heralding the genius of an unknown Polish composer with the headline, "Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!" after hearing the work of Frédéric Chopin.

Clara, Florestan, and Eusebius: A Love Story

As the years passed, Schumann’s friendship with the young Clara Wieck blossomed into a passionate romance. Her father, Friedrich, was vehemently opposed to the match. He saw Schumann as an unstable and penniless dreamer and did everything in his power to keep the two apart, forbidding them from seeing each other and forcing Clara on long concert tours. The lovers communicated through letters and through coded messages in Schumann's music. Their struggle culminated in a famous lawsuit, which they eventually won, allowing them to marry on the day before Clara’s 21st birthday in 1840. Theirs was one of the great love stories and artistic partnerships in music history. Clara became the foremost interpreter of Robert’s piano music, premiering many of his works.

During this period of romantic turmoil, Schumann composed almost exclusively for the piano, creating a series of intensely personal and poetic masterpieces. Works like Papillons, Carnaval, Kinderszenen (which includes the famous "Träumerei"), and the Fantasie in C are filled with literary allusions, musical ciphers, and the passionate dialogues of Florestan and Eusebius.

The "Year of Song" and a Burgeoning Family

The year he finally married Clara, 1840, was a period of explosive creative joy for Schumann. He turned his attention to vocal music, composing over 150 Lieder (art songs) in what became known as his "Year of Song" (Liederjahr). He created some of his most beautiful song cycles during this time, including Dichterliebe (A Poet's Love) and Frauenliebe und -leben (A Woman's Life and Love), which perfectly merge poetry and music.

Encouraged by Clara, he then moved on to larger orchestral forms. He wrote his Symphony No. 1, the "Spring," in a matter of weeks, and it was premiered by his friend Felix Mendelssohn at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. He would go on to write three other symphonies (including the magnificent "Rhenish") and one of the most beloved works in the entire repertoire, the Piano Concerto in A minor, a piece he had started for his beloved Clara years before.

Symphonies, Shadows, and Final Years

Despite professional success and a happy family life, Schumann struggled with periods of severe depression and what was likely bipolar disorder. His mental health deteriorated throughout the 1840s and early 1850s. He began to experience auditory hallucinations, tormented by a single, piercing musical note that would sound for hours.

In 1853, a charismatic 20-year-old composer from Hamburg appeared on the Schumanns' doorstep: the young Johannes Brahms. Schumann immediately recognized his genius and, in his final article for his old journal, hailed Brahms as the chosen one who would carry music into the future. Brahms became a devoted friend to the family. A few months later, in February 1854, Schumann’s mental state collapsed. In a moment of despair, he left his house and threw himself from a bridge into the icy Rhine River. He was rescued by fishermen, but his mind was broken. He voluntarily entered a private asylum in Endenich, near Bonn. He spent the last two years of his life there, slowly succumbing to his illness, and died on July 29, 1856. Brahms remained a loyal, lifelong friend to Clara, helping her manage her household and career after Robert's tragic death.

Section 4: References and Further Reading

References and Further Reading

• Daverio, John. Robert Schumann: Herald of a "New Poetic Age". Oxford University Press, 1997.

• Ostwald, Peter F. Schumann: The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius. Northeastern University Press, 1985.

• Taylor, Ronald. Robert Schumann: His Life and Work. Universe Books, 1982.

• Jensen, Eric Frederick. Schumann. Oxford University Press, 2012.