Robert Schumann (1810–1856) was a German composer and music critic. He studied piano with Friedrich Wieck. He gave piano recitals from the age of 13, however, he injured his hand, as a result of which he could not become a concert pianist. In 1834 he established the magazine “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik” (“New Magazine for Music”) in Leipzig, becoming its chief editor and frequently contributing it himself. In 1840 he married pianist Clara Wieck (subsequently, Clara Schumann), who became a performer of his compositions, and made a number of trips throughout Europe with her (having toured in Russia in 1844). In 1843 he taught at the Leipzig Conservatory, from 1844 he lived in Dresden, and from 1850 – in Düsseldorf. He frequently performed as an orchestral and choral conductor.
Schumann was one of the most brilliant representatives of musical Romanticism in Germany. The composer turned to imagery of Romanticism in literature (Heinrich Heine, Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann and Jean Paul), and many of his works are characterized by literary and poetic programs. He composed cycles of short pieces (for piano and for voice and piano), which disclosed the complex spectrum of psychological states of the main characters, as well as a constant balancing between reality and imagination.
Schumann concretized the polar spheres of his artistic world in the images of Florestan (the embodiment of romantic impulse) and Eusebius (symbolizing contemplation and reflection), which are constantly “present” in his musical and literary works as manifestations of the composer’s own personality.
Schumann’s musical output covers all the major genres, except for ballet, but the specific significance of each genre changed at various periods of his life. The composer’s musical legacy made a strong impact on many composers of the late 19th century, including Tchaikovsky and other Russian composers.
His compositions include the opera “Genoveva,” works for soloists, chorus and orchestra, most notably “Paradise and the Peri;” four symphonies; compositions for solo instruments and orchestra, including the Piano Concerto; works for chamber ensembles, including two piano quartets and a Piano Quintet; works for piano, including three piano sonatas, the piano cycles “Carnival,” “Symphonic Etudes,” “Phantasiestücke,” “Kreisleriana” and “Novelettes;” works for voice and piano, including “Liederkreis,” “Frauenliebe und Leben” and “Dichterliebe;” works for vocal ensembles and chorus, as well as incidental music for the theater.
