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Robert Schumann and his close friend Frederic Chopin formed the backbone of what we nowadays call the early romantic era. Born onJune
8th,1810 (the same year as Chopin) he entered the world as the fifth and last child of his parents. After an early life that didn’tcompletely include the
intense musical training that other composers had during the time, he finally entered proper musical tuition from Friedwich Wieck. Wieck
assuredSchumann that he was to become a successful concert pianist if he studied with him. All was well until ...read more
Robert Schumann and his close friend Frederic Chopin formed the backbone of what we nowadays call the early romantic era. Born onJune
8th,1810 (the same year as Chopin) he entered the world as the fifth and last child of his parents. After an early life that didn’tcompletely include the
intense musical training that other composers had during the time, he finally entered proper musical tuition from Friedwich Wieck. Wieck
assuredSchumann that he was to become a successful concert pianist if he studied with him. All was well until he permanently injured his right
(stronger) hand. Several theories have arisen as to why this had occurred, but it inevitably led him to abandon a career as a performer and focus instead
on pure composition.
It seems to have been this unfortunate event that physically crippled his playing, but also lead to his undivided attentiontowards an area thathe had agift
for; composing. Despite not having the aid of a strong playing hand, he managed tocompose predominantly for an instrument hecouldn’t properlyplay
with sheer brilliance.
During his travels, he married renowned pianist Clara Wieck (later Clara Schumann), daughter of his former teacher. She wasonly 11 whenshe wascited
to be the future wife of Schumann himself, and in turn, this eventually happened. For Schumann,it marked a new era forcomposition. He movedto a
more conventional approach to acquaint the playing technique andromance for his wife, for whom many of hisworks are dedicated. It meant heshied
away from his earlier experimentations,but also meant he would go onto compose highly influentialcatalogues for his children, most notablyAlbum fur die
Jugend(Album for the Young).
While his compositional skill is clear, he was and is still overshadowed by Chopin, who was the defining character in music atthe time.
MuchofSchumann’s work builds off ideas that later classical composers mastered, such as Ludwig van Beethoven’sdefiance for convention. Schumann
was tornbetween a life of experimental composition, and one of convention meaning thatmany of his works are well within themusical boundaries but
also sharecommonalities with the daring attitude of a risk taker. While he never radically changed music itself, he leftbehind a leaning legacy
towardsprofessionalism and beauty within musicthat was taken onboard by composers such as PyotrTchaikovsky and Sir Edward Elgar.
During the lasting days of his life, Schumann was institutionalised for his battle with a mental breakdown. His schizophrenialeft him unawareof
theunfortunate position he was under. His terminal illness resembles the side effects that accompanymercury poisoning, which was usedduring the time
totreat his initial stint with syphilis. Despite being separated from theoutside world for nearly two years, his wife Clara,maintained a continuous check-
upof her husband, where she also took upupon herself to study the music of he husband, and subsequentlyperform it to its fullest to an audience
thathadn’t properlyexperienced Schumann. « hide |
Similar Bands: Frederic Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Clara Schumann |
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LPs | | Geistervariationen (Thema mit Variationen in Es-Du 1854
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| Requiem, Op. 148 1852
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| Symphony No.4 in D Minor, Op.120 1851
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| Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 121 1851
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| Violin Sonata No.1 in A Minor, Op.105 1851
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| Symphony No.3 in E Major, Op.97 1850
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| Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129 1850
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| Album for the Young, Op. 68 1848
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| Symphony No.2 in C Major, Op.61 1847
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| Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.54 1845
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| Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44 1843
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| String Quartet No.3 in A major, Op.41, No.3 1842
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| String Quartet No.1 in A minor, Op.41, No.1 1842
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| Symphony No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 38 1841
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| Myrthen, Op. 25 1840
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| Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14, 1836
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EPs | | Gesänge der Frühe, Op.133 1853
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| 6 Gedichte von N. Lenau und Requiem, Op. 90 1850
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| "Overture" Manfred, Op.115 1848
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| Dichterliebe, Op. 48 1844
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| Frauenliebe und Leben, Op.42 1840
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| Humoreske in B-flat major, Op. 20 1839
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| Blumenstück, Op. 19 1839
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| Arabeske in C major, Op. 18 1839
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| 8 Novelletten, Op. 21 1838
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| Kreisleriana, Op. 16 1838
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| Kinderszenen, Op. 15 1838
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| Piano Sonata No.2 in G Minor, Op.22 1838
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| Davidsbündlertänze, Op.6 1837
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| Fantasiestücke Op. 12 1837
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| Fantasie in C major, for piano, Op. 17 1836
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| Carnaval Op. 9 1835
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| Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.11 1835
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| Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 1834
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| Toccata in C major, Op.7 1834
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| Impromptus on a Theme by Clara Wieck, Op.5 1834
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| Etudes after Paganini Caprices, Op.3 1833
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| Variations on the Name "ABEGG," Op. 1 1832
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| Papillons, Op.2 1832
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Compilations | | The masterworks [Box.DG.35CD] 2015
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Contributors: Doctuses, Snowdog808, Greem, forkliftjones, dariosoares, taylormemer, Sowing, Camillus, Zig, Greem, taylormemer,
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