Robert Schumann Program Notes and Sheet Music

Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era.

Schumann was born in Zwickau, Saxony, Germany. He began to compose before the age of seven, but his boyhood was spent in the cultivation of literature as much as music—undoubtedly influenced by his father, a bookseller, publisher, and novelist. At age seven, Schumann began studying general music and piano with Johann Gottfried Kuntzsch, a teacher at the Zwickau high school. The boy immediately developed a love of music, and worked on his own compositions without the aid of Kuntzsch.

In 1828, Schumann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, while taking piano lessons with Friedrich Wieck. An injury ended his hopes of a career as a virtuoso, confining him to writing compositions, the first of which were published in 1831.

In 1834, Schumann married Clara Wieck, the daughter of his former piano teacher. The couple had eight children, but only three survived to adulthood.

Schumann was a prolific composer. He wrote over 300 works, including operas, symphonies, concertos, chamber music, and solo piano pieces. His most famous works include the piano concerto, the Carnaval, the Papillons, the Dichterliebe, and the Träumerei.

Schumann was also a gifted writer. He founded the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, a music journal that was a forum for new ideas in music. He also wrote a book of essays on music, called Gesammelte Schriften über Musik und Musiker.

Schumann suffered from mental illness for much of his life. He attempted suicide in 1854, and was eventually confined to an asylum, where he died in 1856.

Schumann's music is characterized by its beauty, its lyricism, and its emotional depth. He was a master of the piano, and his piano music is some of the most challenging and rewarding ever written. He was also a gifted composer of orchestral music, chamber music, and songs.

Schumann's music has had a profound influence on composers of all genres. His piano music has been performed by many of the world's greatest pianists, and his orchestral music and chamber music are performed regularly by orchestras and chamber ensembles. Schumann is one of the most important composers of the Romantic era, and his music continues to be enjoyed by audiences around the world.