Biography and Chief Works of 

Robert Schumann

1810.

• Bom, Zwickau in Saxony.  Father a bookseller of literary tastes. Browsed in bookshop in early years.  
• Showed equal musical and literary ability.  
• Well educated.

1828.

• Entered Leipzi University to study law.  Met Heine. Attended no lectures, but read the novels of Jean Paul, wrote stories and a few songs.  
• Began piano Iessons with Wieck, meeting his daughter, Clara, aged 9, who was already a good pianist.

• Transferred to Heidelberg University, but still studied little law.  Practiced the piano for hours.  Impressed by hearing the violinist Paganini.  Eventually persuaded his mother (his father being dead) to allow him to study music, instead of law.

1830.

• Returned to Leipzig, to have piano lessons from Wieck, and to study composition.

1832 

• Experimented with a contrivance to strengthen the fourth finger, and crippled his right hand.  
• Gave up thoughts of a career as a concert pianist.  Went on composing piano pieces. 
• Much admired Chopin.  Went through a period of great depression.

• Started a new periodical dealing with musical criticism, together with Wieck and other friends.  
• Wrote under pen names: Florestan, when feeling fiery; Eusebius, when feeling poetic.  
• Became engaged to Ernestine von Fricken, who lived at Asch.  Wrote ‘Carnaval’, in which the letters ASCH are used.

• Became friendlier with Clara Wieck, now 15, and broke engagement to Ernestine.  Mendelssohn came to live in Leipzig, and they became friends.  
• Also met Chopin.

• Proposed to Clara.  Father opposed the marriage. 
• Wrote many of his best piano works about this time.  

• Moved to Vienna, in the hopes of settling there. But found little scope.  Met Schubert's brother, and discovered the MS. of his C major symphony.  Returned to Leipzig.

• Went to law, to force Wieck to allow him to marry his daughter.  Court proceedings dragged on.

1840.

• Lovers given permission to marry at last.  Schumann so happy that he wrote over 100 songs.

1841.

• Wrote 3 symphonies and the first movement of the piano concerto.  Clara played this just before giving birth to the first of her eight children.

1842.

• A period of chamber music writing – 3 string quartets, piano quartet, and piano quintet.                

• Mendelssohn opened Leipzig Conservatoire, and appointed Schumann as professor.  But an ineffectual teacher and conductor.

• Robert and Clara went on a concert tour to Russia. Clara's playing attracted more attention than his compositions, as always. Settled in Dresden, where they met Wagner. Periods of morbidity.  
• Fewer compositions, though finished another symphony, and made several attempts at writing an opera  ‘Genoveva’, which was finished in 1848. Also wrote ‘Album for the Young' for his daughter's birthday.  
• Fled from Dresden during the 1848 revolution, but soon returned.

1850.

• Made music director at Dusseldorf.  Wrote the 'cello concerto, and 'Manfred' overture, and his 'Rhenish' symphony.  But again unsuccessful, socially and as a conductor.  
• Showed more signs of mental illness.

1853.

• Met Brahms, aged 20.  Wrote of him, "This is he that should come".  Conducting had become so bad that was asked to resign.

1854.

• Became mentally deranged, and threw himself into the Rhine.  Rescued and taken to an asylum.  Brahms went to see him there, but never allowed to see his wife until two days before his death in 1856.

A disciple of the writer, Jean Paul - much of his music has literary ideas behind it.  Always composed at the piano - a means of emotional self-expression.  

Mainly a piano composer until 1840; short pieces showing a lyrical quality, a richness of harmony and emotional warmth.  

Fond of cross rhythms and syncopation.  Very romantic style.  Great spurt of song writing in year of marriage.  Songs had important piano part, with melody often shared between voice and piano.  A year of orchestral compositions followed, and then a year of chamber music.  

Later compositions less good on the whole, as insanity crept upon him.  Better at writing miniatures than large-scale works.  Not good at creating ideas capable of development.  Orchestration too heavy- doubled wind parts for safety, because his conducting was unreliable.  Choral writing rather poor.  

A good writer of music criticism.

Large amount of piano music, including 'Carnaval', 'PapilIons'; 'Etudes Symphoniques'; 'Kreisleriana'; 3 sonatas; 'Novelletten'; 'Album for the Young', etc.

Large number of songs, many written in 1840, including the cycles 'Myrtles'; 'Woman's Life and Love'; 'Poet's Love'.  Also part songs.

Chamber music, including piano quintet, 2 piano quartets, 3 piano trios, 3 violin sonatas, 3 string quartets.

4 symphonies; 1 piano concerto; 1 'cello concerto; overtures to ‘Manfred', 'Faust', etc.

Opera 'Genoveva'; incidental music to 'Manfred'; a number of choral works with orchestra - all rarely performed today.  Not his best work.