Happy birthday, Clara Wieck Schumann

Clara Schumann, pianist and wife of Robert Schumann (crop)Clara Wieck Schumann, born on 9/13/1819, was considered one of the most distinguished pianists of the 19th century admired by critics and other virtuosos including Chopin and Liszt. Her performing career spanned her entire life from her debut at eight to her death at seventy-six giving well over 2000 recitals.

Although she had a tremendous influence over other musicians of the day, her compositional output remained small due not in a small part to the responsibilities of her family. Robert expressed concern about the effect on Clara’s compositional output:

… to have children, and a husband who is always living in the realm of imagination, does not go together with composing. She cannot work at it regularly, and I am often disturbed to think how many profound ideas are lost because she cannot work them out.

In all Clara Wieck Schumann wrote 30 songs – all available on IPA Source. View our collection here:

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/s/schumann-clara-wieck-1819-1896.html

Listen to soprano Anne Wright sing the Sechs Lieder, op. 13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6gpqXdYhi4

Find the music to Clara’s songs on IMSLP at http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Schumann,_Clara.