Summary

Clara Wieck Schumann was a gifted child prodigy at the piano. She married Robert Schumann amidst legal and family controversy just before she was 21. She premiered many of the works written by her husband, as well as those of her friend Johannes Brahms. She considered herself primarily a performing artist, with a deep affinity for her husband's works; but she composed as well. She was never confident about her compositions, and quit composing after her husband's untimely death. This self doubt was influenced partially by laboring in the shadow of great composers, as well as the negative attitude towards female composers that dominated during the period. In recent years, Clara Schumann's life and works are being rediscovered, performed and recorded. For more information on her life and works, consult the web resources below.