Last
week we looked at Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, the talented sister of Felix
Mendelssohn whose music was performed in private, domestic settings. Clara
Wieck Schumann (1819–1896) was another woman musician during the nineteenth
century only, unlike Fanny, Clara was a very public figure.
Clara
Wieck Schumann was the daughter of Friedrich Wieck who may have been
instrumental in his daughter’s success, encouraging her as a virtuosic pianist
from an early age. Her first public performance was at the age of nine and she
was recognized as a leading pianist in Europe by the age of twenty. Unlike many
performers at the time, Clara focused more on being true to the composer’s work
rather than simply giving a showy performance.
Robert
Schumann met Clara when he began taking piano lessons from her father. Early
on, she was actually the better known of the two! They were eventually married
despite objections from Clara’s father. Amazingly, the talented Clara was able
to continue to perform and compose while managing her eight children. After
Robert passed away, she quit composing and focused on teaching and performing,
promoting her late husband’s work.
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| Clara Schumann-Courtesy of britannica.com |
Next
time we’ll take a look at one of Clara’s famous works.
