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Clara Schumann Forms, As Well As the Edition of Her Husband's Biographi- Birth Name: Clara Josephine Wieck Cal Material

Clara Schumann Forms, As Well As the Edition of Her Husband's Biographi- Birth Name: Clara Josephine Wieck Cal Material

Schumann, Clara

in am Main. The possibilities of -making were not exhausted for her in -playing alone, but also included theoretical and practical knowledge about music. Thus singing and violin-playing were just as much a part of her education as was composing. Her early compositions were concei- ved as extensions of her own repertoire, and she emphasi- sed the range of her musical profile as a virtuoso. In the 1840s, the confrontation with the requirements of va- rious musical genres came increasingly to the fore. None- theless, the compositions written during her marriage we- re also intended for performance on the concert stage. Al- ready as a young virtuoso, she was noted for playing mu- sic in all "styles", not merely her own pieces. She initially distinguished herself by being the first vir- tuoso, alongside , to perform Beethoven sona- tas in the concert hall beginning in 1837. Besides her re- nown as a Beethoven interpreter, she then became prima- rily known as an "authentic" representative of the so-cal- led "Romantic School", i.e. the music of Chopin, Hen- selt, Mendelssohn Bartholdy and . She later expanded her repertoire to include the piano works of Brahms. She controlled the reception of Robert Schu- Clara Wieck, Lithographie von Andreas Staub, Wien 1838 mann's music not only through her performance polici- es, but also through her edition of his works in various forms, as well as the edition of her husband's biographi- Birth name: Clara Josephine Wieck cal material. Variants: Clara Wieck, Clara Wieck Schumann, Clara Beyond that, through her performance style, she first of Schumann Wieck, Clara Josephine Schumann, Clara all shaped a definite repertoire selection focussed on a ca- Josephine Wieck Schumann, Clara Josephine Schumann non of works from Bach and Scarlatti to Brahms. Second- Wieck ly, she influenced her pupils through a certain attitude towards interpretation that was already designated in * 13 September 1819 in , Deutschland the as "faithfulness to the original". She was † 20 May 1896 in Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland noted for exactitude of the text and an intensive preoccu- pation with the 's intentions. Through her inter- "The practice of art is indeed a large part of my being; to national tours, she especially made the works of Robert me, it is the air that I breathe." Schumann and known abroad. From the end of the 1870s onwards, a triad was formed (Clara Schumann to Johannes Brahms, in a letter dated by Clara Schumann in Frankfurt am Main, Johannes 15 October 1868) Brahms in Vienna and in Berlin. These three musicians were so powerful in their effect that Profile their names, long after their deaths, remained synony- Clara Wieck Schumann appeared in public at the age of mous for an attitude of conservative values - steadfast in nine and she remained in the public eye for the rest of its orientation towards the "masterwork" and up in arms her life. With her activities spanning over sixty years, she against the avant-garde of the early twentieth century. In had a considerable influence on the piano scene as an in- contrast to this, the piano technique she taught seems to ternational star, piano pedagogue and, finally, as a pro- have been received as progressive, well into the twentie- fessor in 1878 at the newly founded Hoch’s Conservatory th century, by virtue of its expressive variety.

– 1 – Schumann, Clara

"Romance variée", Op. 3, published between 1831 and Cities an countries 1833. There is also an orchestral version, performed in Clara Wieck initially concertised primarily in German- 1834, of the "Valses romantiques" Op. 4 modelled on We- speaking countries. Her first major tour took her to Paris ber and Schubert, but the parts to this work are lost to- in 1831/32. In the winter of 1837/38 she began a series day. These waltzes were performed in a popular Leipzig with concerts in Prague and Vienna that signified her in- garden restaurant. ternational breakthrough. As Clara Schumann, she un- Spohr, Weber, Chopin and Mendelssohn Bartholdy were dertook a successful tour in 1842 to Denmark, then to her most important models during these years. An insou- Russia, again to Austria, Holland and Belgium. In the ye- ciant freshness flows through the early works. The piano ar of Robert Schumann's death, 1856, she concertised for writing often contains original ideas and bold harmonies the first time in England, Scotland and Ireland. England which are, however, relieved by brilliant figures; some of became one of her principal destinations thereafter. She these make a somewhat prefabricated effect. The "Quatre undertook tours to Austria, Bohemia, France, Belgium, Pièces caractéristiques", Op. 5 and the "Soirées musica- Holland, the Baltic countries, Russia and Switzerland un- les", Op. 6, published in 1836, give evidence of a new mu- til the late 1880s. sical language. Amongst other things, they are informed by a fascination for ghost stories and fantasies such as Biography those staged by the opera composer . Clara Wieck was born on 13 September 1819 into a fami- At the same time, the collections also reveal individual ly of musicians. Her father, , a qualified encounters with the latest works of Chopin (, theologian, was a successful music dealer and piano ped- ballades). The surprisingly poetic adagio movements agogue; her mother, Marianne Tromlitz, was a highly pro- (“Romance”, Op. 5/3; “Notturno”, Op. 6/2) disclose the mising soloist who had performed at the Leipzig Gewand- sensitive side of the young virtuoso. The largest composi- haus as a and singer in 1817. The marriage ended tional project of this period was the , Op. in divorce in 1824; Clara, the eldest child, and her youn- 7, which received its premiere performance on 9 Novem- ger brothers lived with their father. Their mother moved ber 1835 conducted by Mendelssohn Bartholdy at the to Berlin with her second husband, the composer Adolf Leipzig . Bargiel (1783-1841). Friedrich Wieck married Clementi- ne Fechner in 1828. Despite the family’s break-up, Clara Friedrich Wieck was himself in charge of Clara's piano in- never lost contact with both parents (although with vary- struction; for the other subjects, various other teachers ing degrees of intensity), her siblings and half-siblings. were called in, including Theodor Weinlich, Heinrich Clara Wieck enjoyed an exclusive private education with Dorn and Siegfried Dehn in theory and composition. In a reformed pedagogical approach. This included streng- turn, the ten-year-old Clara was already giving piano les- thening of personality, performance requirements appro- sons to her younger siblings. Her father created an open priate for children, encouragement of creativity and phy- diary for his daughter, kept by himself and her beginning sical exercise as a necessary balance. One area of focus in 1829 and mostly by her alone from 1836 onwards. It was on the comprehensive musical instruction of the vir- served to document her progress as a “wunderkind” and tuoso. Music was taught as a holistic sensory and cogniti- young virtuoso, but was also meant to serve as an incenti- ve experience, with consideration for individual conditi- ve and assessment of her achievements. ons. Wieck's method is therefore difficult to systematise. The systematic development of her career, as conducted Alongside general basic subjects, the instruction inclu- by Friedrich Wieck, included the patronage of renowned ded piano technique, improvisation, ensemble playing wi- personalities such as Goethe and Paganini, whose friend- th partners, analysis, interpretation and repertoire stu- ly praise appeared in the press. One special characteristic dies, theory instruction including and ear- of her education was the early contact with the younger training, violin, voice, French and English. Before this musical "avant-garde" such as Chopin, Mendelssohn Bar- backdrop, Clara wrote the early variations and dance mo- tholdy and Schumann. Clara Wieck played their pieces at vements mentioned in her youthful diary, but these her concerts and exchanged manuscripts with them. works have not survived. They must have sounded simi- Thus, when Chopin travelled to Leipzig in 1835 and paid larly to the first printed compositions, the "Quatre Polo- her a visit, she became acquainted with his Ballade in G naises", Op. 1, "Caprices en forme de valse", Op. 2 and minor, Op. 23 from the manuscript, one year prior to its

– 2 – Schumann, Clara publication. to marry Robert Schumann in 1840, cutting the connecti- Her father organised her performances and concert on to her family of origin with this lawsuit against her fat- tours. He was her father, teacher as well as impresario her. She did, it is true, now establish a new relationship during her youthful years. As a young star, Clara already to her biological mother in Berlin. But as a whole, the so- occupied a position of prominence amongst her younger cial and legal transitional passage of over a year signified siblings, for their entire family life was orientated accord- a fundamental crisis for the still underage young woman ing to the requirements of the development of her career. who still lacked a permanent place of residence. During She was alone with her father on tour several months a this period, she repeatedly doubted her artistic abilities. year, whilst her stepmother managed the family and the At the same time, she was able to experience being me- father's business dealings at home. anwhile sufficiently well known, as a star, to forge a place for herself in the concert scene without male protection. Clara Wieck distinguished herself as an interpreter at a "I shall not give up my art", was one of her fundamental high level when she publicly performed, for the first ti- auto-suggestive principles. The public actively partook of me, unabridged piano sonatas of Beethoven (F minor, the trial against her father, and its collective sympathy Op. 57, D minor, Op. 31/2, C-sharp minor, Op. 27/2) du- was in favour of the engaged couple, to whom all this at- ring the 1837/38 season. In so doing, she set off a contro- tention was rather embarrassing. This affair added an versial debate over the suitability of the sonatas for the emotional component to Clara Wieck's fame as a virtuo- concert hall which greatly benefitted her reputation. so that was ultimately quite beneficial to her image. spontaneously dedicated the poem "Clara Wieck and Beethoven" to her, later even including The specifically musical discourse with Robert Schu- it in his "Collected Works". For Clara Wieck, these specta- mann, at the level of an associate, began quite early on, cular concerts signified her breakthrough as a top-class in 1831 to be exact. It was primarily urged on by Robert virtuoso. She stood at the threshold of an international Schumann and is revealed in mutual quotations, corre- career, made visible by her being named “k.k. Kammer- spondences and references in Clara Wieck's works Opp. virtuosin” in Vienna on 4 March 1838, an unusually high 3, 4, 5, 6 and Robert Schumann's Opp. 5, 9, 11, 14 and 21. honour for the still underage foreigner and Protestant. Echoes of this period are also heard in Robert Schu- She showed her gratitude for this with the "Souvenir de mann's Piano Concerto in , Op. 54 (1841, 1845), Vienne", Op. 9, an impromptu on the Imperial Hymn. which contains a reminiscence from Clara Wieck's Piano She was superior to her competitors because she offered Concerto, Op. 7. A new quality of musical communicati- a wide repertoire alongside her own pieces, as well as on was shown in Clara Wieck's “Romance” in G minor, fashionable hits of the period (by Adolph Henselt and Jo- Op. 11/2 composed for the "Neue Zeitschrift für Musik" hann Peter Pixis), still largely unknown treasures of the in 1839, with its intensive musical language orientated past (, ) and on Schumann. works of the avant-garde. At this time, she primarily offe- Clara Wieck and Robert Schumann planned an artists' red Beethoven's chamber music and the latest works of community according to the early Romantic model, ima- Schumann in semi-private soirees. The first biographical gining a merging of both individuals in the artistic pro- article about her also appeared in 1838 in Schilling's cess. It was intended to withstand prosaic everyday life. "Universal-Lexikon der Tonkunst" and Herloßsohn's If Clara Wieck could not yet imagine what her "housewi- "Conversationslexicon". The virtuoso "Bellini Variati- fe" role as idealised by Schumann would look like, she ons", Op. 8 and the Scherzo, Op. 10 were written for her quickly found out. Between 1841 and 1854 she gave birth tours to Vienna and Paris (1837-1840). to eight children, seven of whom reached adulthood. No- netheless, with the help of Bartholdy, Clara Wieck received a solid fundamental grounding she mounted her successful comeback as a virtuoso on 31 from her father in matters pertaining both to art and to March 1841 under the name of Clara Schumann. the practical concerns of living. He was her major attach- Amongst other works, the world premieres were given at ment figure during her childhood. It was only with a the Leipzig Gewandhaus of her "Am Strande", Men- great expenditure of energy that she succeeded in freeing delssohn's four-hand "Allegro brillant" for piano, Op. 92 herself from the double symbiosis of daughter/father that he had composed to support Clara Schumann, and and pupil/teacher. She had to fight in court for the right Schumann's "Spring Symphony" Op. 38.

– 3 – Schumann, Clara

contributed the “Three Mixed Choruses” (no opus num- The range of her duties grew with her family. Robert ber) in 1848 for Schumann's work with the Cho- Schumann proved to be a precarious travel partner, ral Society, but a creative break occurred thereafter. Se- which resulted in a drastic reduction of the repeatedly en- veral lieder also remained in a desk drawer, unpublis- visaged tour plans. If at least a tiny portion of the utopi- hed. an idea of an artistic community could in fact be saved, it was because they came to grips with the reality of their si- If the artistic equilibrium of power between the publicly tuation despite turning away from the desired image of celebrated virtuoso (Clara) and the composer known on- their shared life, whilst persistently holding on to at least ly to specialists (Robert) was still reasonably balanced du- the idea of their ambitious aim of uniting art and life. ring the early 1840s, the weight soon shifted unassailably The everyday artistic life of Clara Schumann now inclu- to the side of Robert Schumann. Clara Schumann was su- ded the organisation of private concerts at which first bordinated. Her Piano Sonata in G minor of 1841/42 re- hearings of new compositions were presented. mained unpublished, and only a 179-bar fragment in pia- Clara Schumann was involved in Schumann's activities no score remains from the draft of the second Piano Con- through adaptations, preparation of piano reductions certo in F minor (1846). It is possible that the missing and support at choral and orchestral rehearsals. Her fi- opus numbers 18 and 19 in her catalogue of works were nancial contribution to their livelihood through her own reserved for these pieces. The competition based on part- concerts and teaching was certainly needed. During all nership did not only have an inspiring effect. The cons- this, her own free creative space shrunk dramatically. Si- tant comparison was also frustrating because the lack of multaneous working hours were out of the question be- the opportunity to work continuously was all the more cause everything could be heard through the walls where clearly apparent. Clara Schumann's metaphor for it was they lived. She lacked the professional basis of the daily "weibisch" (“womanish”). study of music. Despite this, they managed to create their first (and only) project under a collective signature, After years of crises in Leipzig and Dresden - plagued by namely the settings of twelve poems from Friedrich Rück- illnesses, a child's death, pressure to succeed, financial ert's cycle "Liebesfrühling" (“Spring of Love”). The lieder worries and the Revolution of 1848 - the Schumanns mo- were published in 1841, under both names, as Clara Schu- ved to Düsseldorf with new hopes in 1850. The last com- mann's Op. 12 and Robert Schumann's Op. 37, without positions of Clara Schumann were written in 1853, revealing the authorship of the individual lieder. thanks to a well-insulated new flat with separate music In addition, between 1842 and 1844, Clara Schumann rooms. She wrote the Variations, Op. 20, “Three Roman- wrote “Six Lieder”, Op. 13 to texts of Heine, Geibel and ces” for piano, Op. 21, “Three Romances” for violin and Rückert, her second “Scherzo”, Op. 14 and “Six Fleeting piano, Op. 22 and “Six Lieder” from Rollett's "Jucunde", Pieces” (“Sechs flüchtige Stücke”), Op. 15 for piano. As a Op. 23. Clara Schumann dedicated the “Three Roman- result of studies in counterpoint undertaken together, ces”, Op. 21 to Johannes Brahms. Ever since he had been she composed the “Three and Fugues”, Op. 16 more or less adopted by the Schumanns in October 1853, in 1845. One year later, Clara Schumann sketched her Brahms had been a part of her life. With his “Variations most ambitious chamber work, the , Op. 17. on a Theme of Robert Schumann”, Op. 9 (1854), a direct Here, as already in the “Preludes and Fugues”, Op. 16, response to Clara Schumann's “Variations on a Theme of she conquered new musical territory. The Trio makes an Robert Schumann”, Op. 20 (1853), Brahms began to join almost classical effect in its sonic balance, to which the in the musically intimate partner dialogue between the motivic density and linear coupling of the three instru- Schumanns. Brahms's intention to continue this dialo- ments contribute. This expanded compositional perspec- gue with her in the future, meanwhile, did not succeed. tive was not continued, although the work triggered off a Clara Schumann did not allow herself to become enga- considerable echo following its premiere on 18 Novem- ged in it. ber 1846 in the reports and reviews on the score publis- hed in 1847. They also contained ambivalent astonish- Her familial concept of living collapsed as a result of ment that it had been written by a woman. Clara Schu- Schumann’s death in 1856. Aged 37, she had to organise mann took it up in her repertoire, still performing it du- herself anew. Clear preferences were now defined. From ring the 1870s in London with Joachim and Piatti. She this time onwards, she no longer composed (except for a

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March written in 1879 without and instru- on travelling regardless of season. The course of Clara mented by ), although she continued Schumann's year was marked by tour plans from autumn to improvise on the podium and arrange lieder and cham- until early summer. Concerts in the European music cent- ber music for the piano. She concentrated exclusively on res formed the backbone of these tours. Sending the her profession as a pianist. In 1856 she embarked upon children to relatives and boarding schools in order to ena- her first tour to England. She succeeded in establishing ble their mother to concertise was a subject of contention herself artistically in London with great effort and clever even with her close friends such as Rosalie Leser and dramaturgy. Clara Schumann gradually perfected the Brahms. In a pioneering spirit, the Schumanns had sent concept of programming her appearances with just a few their children to one of the newly established kindergar- but especially “top-class” works. With the Piano Concer- tens in Dresden (until they were closed for political rea- to No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 (1808/09), she made a re- sons), taking along their older daughters with them on spectable start as a Beethoven interpreter that set stan- short concert tours. This was impossible, however, on dards in England as well. Because Beethoven’s concerto Clara's extended tours. The moral pressure on her increa- was considered “masculine” music, her appearances at- sed because the collective conceptions of fatherly and mo- tracted special attention - also assessed as controversial. therly love had clearly shifted. Whereas, at the beginning Moreover, she played (alongside her own “Variations”, of the century, it was primarily the fathers (like Wieck) Op. 20) music of Mendelssohn and Chopin, who were ve- who were responsible for the flourishing of their offsp- ry popular in London. ring, this task was now found exclusively amongst the du- She regarded the performances of her husband’s works, ties of the (house-) wife. however, as her primary mission. His music did not in fact become established until the 1870s. During this ti- Already by the late 1850s, Clara Schumann succeeded in me, Schumann advanced to the position of a prototype of becoming financially independent. Between travels, she German in music. tried to create at least short family reunions at Christmas The tours in England were a constituent part of her tra- and during the summer holidays. With the purchase of vels. She celebrated her greatest successes in that count- a house in Baden-Baden in 1862, the family obtained a lo- ry, reaching the most listeners at large venues such as St cal centre. For ten years, this became the centre of attrac- James’s Hall and the Crystal Palace. Unlike listeners on tion for relatives, friends and transient artists. The child- the European continent, the English public was not so st- ren were grown up by the time Clara Schumann offered rictly subdivided into connoisseurs and outsiders. She la- her property for sale in 1873. Elise Schumann ter believed that she could perceive the results of her de- (1843-1928) was the first to make herself independent in cade-long concert-pedagogical ambitions in the applause 1863. Daughter Julie (1845-1872), who had already died of the “impecunious”, as she called them (in “Letters of tuberculosis, left two children. Ludwig (1848-1899) from and to J. Joachim”, Vol. 2, p. 189) - results with had been in the Colditz Insane Asylum since 1871, whilst which she was deeply satisfied. Ferdinand (1849-1891) married during that same year. Clarity, rhythmic precision, interpretation faithful to the Eugenie (1851-1938) studied music in Berlin and Felix work, her multi-facetted technique of attack and intima- (1854-1879), like his father, began studies in law in Hei- cy, coupled with her thoroughly demanding repertoire - delberg. Marie (1841-1929), on the other hand, remained all these factors made her performances genuine public her mother's artistic supervisor and also organised her events. Clara Schumann performed in England over the everyday life. She was reliably present in all critical fami- course of thirty years, until 1888. She probably had a con- ly situations to which Clara no longer wished to expose siderable influence on the sector of concert life dedicated herself: in illness and death. to art music in that country. Despite the intensive, lifelong friendship with Brahms Clara Schumann visited Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, that had begun in the autumn of 1853, and despite a love France, Switzerland, Austria-Hungary and Russia during relationship with during the early the ensuing decades. In addition, there were many ap- 1860s, she apparently did not consider marrying again. pearances in , mostly in Leipzig, the city of her Having been brought up in a progressive way, she later birth. insisted that her daughters and granddaughters prepare for gainful employment. The structures of a soloist's career, then as now, depend Clara Schumann's decision to accept a position at Hoch’s

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Conservatory in Frankfurt am Main in 1878 was made be- flicted by life and suffering who only wished to dedicate fore the backdrop of health problems. Rheumatic comp- herself to what was "essential". This public image was laints impaired her health. In addition, she suffered inc- compiled from pictures, her special manner of interpreta- reased hearing loss as she became older. Stage fright of- tion and the projections triggered by these. ten robbed her of the joyful anticipation of her presentati- ons, although she was dependent on the public and could Clara Schumann's unprecedented success was made pos- not imagine a life without piano-playing or teaching. Con- sible by an interaction of several factors. She used her sta- ditions in Frankfurt allowed enough free time for concert ge presence to captivate her audience. Her wave of high tours and for the possibility of teaching at home. In 1878 spirits also carried with it compositions that were not di- she celebrated her golden (50th) stage anniversary with rectly accessible to the general public. Eduard Hanslick great public interest and, ten years later, her diamond suspected that the collective enthusiasm for Beethoven's (60th) stage anniversary as well. piano sonatas that suddenly broke out in Vienna in 1838 In January 1896 she organised a final recital at home. In was inseparably linked with the rapturous reception of March she suffered a first stroke and, six weeks later, a the ingenious young virtuoso ("Concertwesen", p. 333). second one from the consequences of which she never re- From observations of her competitors, she noted that the covered. Clara Schumann died on 20 May 1896 in Frank- cult of the star alone did not last. furt am Main. She was buried next to her husband in Alongside excellent preparation, her performance strate- . A plain gravestone with her name was leaned on gy included a very clever programme structure. Already the pedestal of his monument. during the 1830s, each programme followed a dramatur- gy that was tailor-made for the given occasion. The selec- Appreciation tion of pieces, first of all, depended on expectations. The- Clara Wieck Schumann succeeded where many women se were not disappointed. In addition, it was important artists, including her mother, failed: in establishing her- to incorporate the attention curve. Demanding pieces we- self on the stage beyond the period of her youth whilst re heard during the first part of the concert, lighter and managing to combine family and profession. Beyond more popular ones in the second part. In order to lend being an inspiring muse, she remained the most import- each recital a special rhythm, the duration, character, ant musical partner and comrade-in-arms of Robert comprehensibility, tempi and keys of the pieces were co- Schumann. Tours within Germany, to Denmark (1842), ordinated. Her strategies set an example that still applies Russia (1844), Austria (1846/7), Holland and Belgium today. (1853/54), some of which were undertaken alone, contri- The fact that she connected the pieces into a unity by im- buted to the continuity of her public presence. She remai- provising interludes between them probably contributed ned a topic of conversation with a variety of performan- to the singular experience. At major events such as those ces, including the world premiere of Robert Schumann's at the Burgtheater in Vienna, the Crystal Palace in Lon- Piano Concerto, Op. 54 (4 December 1845 in Dresden don or at the Popular Concerts, she had to reckon with a and 1 January 1846 in Leipzig) and as the soloist in diver- socially mixed public, whereas there were experienced lis- se special and subscription concerts. The "Wiener Allge- teners at the London Philharmonic Society or at well- meine Musikalische Zeitung" praised her in 1846 as the known music salons to whom one could offer more expe- "premiere woman pianist of our times" (12 December rimental programmes. Such strategies were motivated by 1846). During the final phase of Robert's illness, with the late-enlightenment conviction that one could aestheti- whose return she reckoned until 1855, she increased her cally educate the public. Good music, in the proper dosa- performing activities not only out of financial need, but ge and "offered with devotion", as Joseph Joachim affir- also in order to take her life into her own hands. She un- med in the letter to Clara Schumann (Letters from and to derstood her musical competence to be her capital and J. Joachim, 1911-1913, Vol. 2, p. 190), was first intended her public performances as part of a calling. If, during to make its effect on the performers, who could then pass the 1830s and -40s, Clara Schumann had embodied the on the art all the more convincingly - a premise that also type of Queen Louise of Prussia, a model for many gene- regulated instruction. rations of women - with her natural appearance of virtuo- sity and modest amiability - the role that now correspon- From the time of her first appearance as Clara Schu- ded to her was that of Queen Victoria, a woman sorely af- mann, she primarily focussed her repertoire on sophisti-

– 6 – Schumann, Clara cated artificial music. With this, she established a new toire - works of Schumann, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Beet- quality brand. Meanwhile, this development did not only hoven, Bach and Brahms - became the valid canon of pia- correspond to her contemporary situation, but was part no literature. of the general trend of the times. Of her competitors Reception from the 1830s and -40s, she alone remained in the pub- lic eye after 1850 as the only representative of the then When Clara Schumann died in 1896, her artistic authori- so-called "Romantic School". The stylisation into a "pries- ty and musical merits were still present. She was ranked tess" of art was already true of Clara Wieck. The fact that amongst the great, exemplary female figures of her centu- she masked her private psycho-physical state as soon as ry. By the 1920s, her musical competences had been for- she was on stage contributed to the severity of her public gotten. It was only in the 1960s that the artist and especi- image. This ability to disregard her own sensitivities en- ally the composer were rediscovered by women's resear- couraged her empathy with the corresponding musical ch. Since then, her compositions have been gradually ma- persona which, in turn, intensified listeners' impression de generally accessible in new editions, some of these fir- of being offered an interpretation true to the work. But at st editions. Today she is at least present in the public awa- the same time, her ability to withdraw completely into reness. Starting in 1986, the Deutsche Bundespost (Fe- the music - which she already possessed as a child - was deral Post Office) and then the Deutsche Bundesbank puzzling even to her friends when it appeared in private (German Rail) honoured the artist Clara Schumann by is- situations. The artist occasionally made a cold, detached suing an 80-pfennig stamp (= standard letter) and a effect, precisely when emotional demands were being ma- hundred mark note with her portrait within the context de on her. At the same time, she was also described as of "Women in German History". compassionate, warm-hearted and, to some, even maud- Of her compositions, her lieder are probably performed lin. the most frequently. Extensive research into and publica- tion of biographical documents of Clara Wieck Schuman, Although she often performed chamber music, Clara her families of origin and friends, began during recent ye- Schumann was especially remembered as a soloist. Du- ars and still continues. The working-out of her syste- ring the 1830s she concertised extensively with the violi- matic pianistic work has also begun. Expertise research nist Carl Müller. From the 1850s onwards she preferred is concerned with the question of her attainment of com- to appear with the violinist Joseph Joachim, the cellist Al- petence and the role of music during the course of her li- fredo C. Piatti, and the vocal soloists Julius Stockhausen fe. Finally, more recent studies are also tackling the ques- and . Her central chamber-music reper- tion of this artist's influence on the performance traditi- toire included Robert's in E-flat major, on and reception of German "romantic" music in Ger- Op. 44 and in E-flat major, Op. 47, but many and England and the role she played in the musical works of Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert and public of the 19th century. Brahms were also on her programmes. Pure "Clara Schu- mann recitals" were also quite unusual during the se- Clara Wieck Schumann taught during her entire life; her cond half of the nineteenth century. She meanwhile en- pupils included several of her siblings, her children as joyed so much prestige that she could freely choose what well as her grandchildren Julie and Ferdinand Schu- repertoire she performed, and with whom. mann. A number of her pupils enjoyed careers as pia- nists and pedagogues. From the published sources of Precision was the credo of her instruction. The exact ob- Brunner, Cahn, De Vries, R. Hofmann, Litzmann, Losse- servation of all the signs contained in the musical text for- wa, Eugenie, Ferdinand and Julie Schumann, Verne and med the basis of each interpretation. For this reason, Cla- Wurm, a list can be made of the following pupils: ra Schumann worked on a German Chopin edition begin- Julie von Asten, Miss E. Barnett, Miss Blaybrough, Leo- ning in 1847, and this exactitude would also regulate the nard Borwick, Emma Brandes, Nelly Clark, Klara David- work begun in 1879 on the complete edition of all of Ro- son, , Alice Dessauer, Karoline Dupré, John bert's works. In order to enable her pupils to gain perfor- Dykes St Oswald, Heinrich Ehrlich, Ilona Eibenschütz, ming experience, she regularly organised recitals at Ernst Engesser, Nannette Falk, Miss Fletcher, Carl Fried- which she herself also performed, evaluating her own at- berg, Marie Fromm, Caroline Geisler-Schubert, Lily Gold- tainments just as she did those of her pupils. Their reper- schmidt, Amina Goodwin, Nelli Goring, Clement Harris,

– 7 – Schumann, Clara

Miss Henesy, Miss Hodson, E. Hofmann, Edith Hoyle, Virtual International Authority File (VIAF): Bertha Hufer, Nathalie Janotha, Miss Johnson, Miss Kor- http://viaf.org/viaf/44499359 tegan, , Louise Adolphe Le Beau, Marie Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (GND): von Lindemann, Katie Macdonald, Miss Malbrough, http://d-nb.info/gnd/11861164X Blanche Master, Edith Meadows, Theodor Müller-Reu- Library of Congress (LCCN): ter, Olga Neruda, Leonard Oberstadt, Marie Olson, Frau http://lccn.loc.gov/n50003165 Moritz Oppenheim, Josephine Parson, Gertrud Pepys, Author(s) Miss Pierson, Miss Rhodes, Henriette Reichmann, Adine Rückert, Ernst Rudorff, Marfa Sabinina, Emma Schmidt, Janina Klassen, Januar und Dezember 2008. Agnes Schönerstedt, Ferdinand Schumann, Julie Schu-

mann, Fräulein Sewell (= Tochter von Marie Sewell?), Forschungsbedarf und Forschungsinformation: Beatrix Mimi Shakespeare, Frida Simonson, Emilie Steffens, Borchard, Januar 2009. Margarete Stern, Therese Stümcke, Franklin Taylor, Kät- he Then, Lazzaro Uzielli, , Miss Weston, Editing status Holdom White, Miss Wigram, Kath. Wilson, Mary Wurm. Editorial staff: Regina Back First edit 10/04/2006 Research Last edit 10/03/2019 An edition of the most important correspondence betwe- en Clara and Robert Schumann is presently being prepa- mugi.hfmt-hamburg.de red under the title "Briefwechsel Robert und Clara Schu- Forschungsprojekt an der manns mit Freunden und Künstlerkollegen" (Correspon- Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg dence of Robert and Clara Schumann with Friends and Projektleitung: Prof. Dr. Beatrix Borchard Artist Colleagues), edited by Prof. Dr. Michael Heine- Harvestehuder Weg 12 mann (Dresden) in cooperation with the Robert Schu- D – 20148 Hamburg mann House in Zwickau. From these publications, we can expect to learn further details about Clara Schu- mann's artistic work also after her husband's death, as well as about the everyday life of an artist couple.

Need for Research

Since new correspondence materials continue to turn up, our image of the probably best-known artist couple in music history is becoming ever more differentiated. In particular, the newly published letters to Clara Schu- mann's mother, Mariane Bargiel, a woman who had to earn a living teaching piano for her husband and four children, still await evaluation. In addition, there is a lack of detailed studies on Clara Schumann's many acti- vities, e.g. in Leipzig, Dresden and Düsseldorf, on her re- lationships to artist colleagues and to certain individual pupils. Ever since the arrival of the new film "" ("Beloved Clara" - Helma Sanders-Brahms) in the cine- mas in 2008, a study on the subject of Clara Schumann as a novel and film heroine would continue to be of cur- rent interest.

Authority control

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