Born in Leipzig, Sept 13, 1819
Died in Frankfurt, May 20, 1896
- Clara Wieck was a piano prodigy, the daughter of singer Marianne Tromlitz and piano teacher Friedrich Wieck.
- Clara Wieck’s parents divorced when she was five, and Clara spent her childhood under the sole custody of her father, who conducted her entire education and managed her concert career. Clara Schumann acknowledged that her father was somewhat tyrannical but was also grateful for a disciplined musical education.
- Clara Wieck made her professional debut as a pianist when she was 11, and she continued to appear as a concert pianist for the rest of her life. Like most piano virtuosos of the time, her repertoire included her own compositions.
- In 1840, Clara Wieck married her father’s former piano student Robert Schumann, despite her father’s strong resistance (the couple had to sue Wieck for the right to marry).
- After Robert’s death in 1856, Clara Schumann ceased to compose. Instead, she devoted her energy to supported her family as a touring concert pianist, editing her husband’s compositions, and as head of the piano faculty at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt.1
Short biography from the LA Philharmonic
German-language biography and articles from schumann-portal.de (available translated)
Sources
- Nancy B. Reich and Natasha Loges, “Schumann [née Wieck], Clara,” Grove Music Online (March 29, 2021), accessed June 15, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-90000380188.
Pieces
- Das Veilchen (The Violet)
- Liebst du um Schönheit (“If you love for beauty”), Op. 12, No. 4
- Piano Concerto in a minor, Op. 7
- Piano Sonata in g minor
- Piano Trio in g minor, Op. 17
- Scherzo No. 2 in c minor, Op. 14
- Sechs Lieder (“Six Songs”), Op. 13
- Three Romances for Piano, Op. 11
- Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22
- Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20