Robert Schumann

'''Robert Schumann'''{{refn|Many sources from the 19th century onwards state that Schumann had the middle name Alexander,Liliencron, p. 44; Spitta, p. 384; Slonimsky and Kuhn, p. 3234; and Wolff p. 1702 but according to the 2001 edition of ''[[Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'' and a 2005 biography by Eric Frederick Jensen there is no evidence that he had a middle name and it is possibly a misreading of his teenage pseudonym "Skülander". His birth and death certificates and all other existing official documents give "Robert Schumann" as his only names.Daverio and Sams, p. 760Jensen, p. 2|group=n|name=alexander}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|uː|m|ɑː|n}}; {{IPA|de|ˈʁoːbɐ̯t ˈʃuːman|lang}}; 8 June 1810{{spaced ndash}}29 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early [[Romantic music|Romantic era]]. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, [[chamber music|chamber groups]], orchestra, choir and the opera. His works typify the spirit of the Romantic era in German music.

'''Robert Schumann'''{{refn|Many sources from the 19th century onwards state that Schumann had the middle name Alexander,Liliencron, p. 44; Spitta, p. 384; Slonimsky and Kuhn, p. 3234; and Wolff p. 1702 but according to the 2001 edition of ''[[Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'' and a 2005 biography by Eric Frederick Jensen there is no evidence that he had a middle name and it is possibly a misreading of his teenage pseudonym "Skülander". His birth and death certificates and all other existing official documents give "Robert Schumann" as his only names.Daverio and Sams, p. 760Jensen, p. 2|group=n|name=alexander}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ʃ|uː|m|ɑː|n}}; {{IPA|de|ˈʁoːbɐ̯t ˈʃuːman|lang}}; 8 June 1810{{spaced ndash}}29 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early [[Romantic music|Romantic era]]. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, [[chamber music|chamber groups]], orchestra, choir and the opera. His works typify the spirit of the Romantic era in German music.

Schumann was born in [[Zwickau]], Saxony, to an affluent middle-class family with no musical connections, and was initially unsure whether to pursue a career as a lawyer or to make a living as a pianist-composer. He studied law at the universities of [[Leipzig University|Leipzig]] and [[Heidelberg University|Heidelberg]] but his main interests were music and [[Romantic literature]]. From 1829 he was a student of the piano teacher [[Friedrich Wieck]], but his hopes for a career as a virtuoso pianist were frustrated by a worsening problem with his right hand, and he concentrated on composition. His early works were mainly piano pieces, including the large-scale {{lang|de|[[Carnaval (Schumann)|Carnaval]]}}, {{lang|de|[[Davidsbündlertänze]]}} (Dances of the League of David), {{lang|de|[[Fantasiestücke, Op. 12|Fantasiestücke]]}} (Fantasy Pieces), {{lang|de|[[Kreisleriana]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Kinderszenen]]}} (Scenes from Childhood) (1834–1838). He was a co-founder of the {{lang|de|[[Neue Zeitschrift für Musik]]}} (New Musical Journal) in 1834 and edited it for ten years. In his writing for the journal and in his music he distinguished between two contrasting aspects of his personality, dubbing these [[alter egos]] "Florestan" for his impetuous self and "Eusebius" for his gentle poetic side.

Schumann was born in [[Zwickau]], Saxony, to an affluent middle-class family with no musical connections, and was initially unsure whether to pursue a career as a lawyer or to make a living as a pianist-composer. He studied law at the universities of [[Leipzig University|Leipzig]] and [[Heidelberg University|Heidelberg]] but his main interests were music and [[Romantic literature]]. From 1829 he was a student of the piano teacher [[Friedrich Wieck]], but his hopes for a career as a virtuoso pianist were frustrated by a worsening problem with his right hand, and he concentrated on composition. His early works were mainly piano pieces, including the large-scale {{lang|de|[[Carnaval (Schumann)|Carnaval]]}}, {{lang|de|[[Davidsbündlertänze]]}} (Dances of the League of David), {{lang|de|[[Fantasiestücke, Op. 12|Fantasiestücke]]}} (Fantasy Pieces), {{lang|de|[[Kreisleriana]]}} and {{lang|de|[[Kinderszenen]]}} (Scenes from Childhood) (1834–1838). He was a co-founder of the {{lang|de|[[Neue Zeitschrift für Musik]]}} (New Musical Journal) in 1834 and edited it for ten years. In his writing for the journal and in his music he distinguished between two contrasting aspects of his personality, dubbing these [[alter egos]] "Florestan" for his impetuous self and "Eusebius" for his gentle poetic side. He wrote an influential review of [[Chopin]]'s ''[[Variations on "Là ci darem la mano"]]'', in which he exclaimed "Hats off, gentlemen, a genius!"

Despite the bitter opposition of Wieck, who did not regard his pupil as a suitable husband for her, Schumann married Wieck's daughter [[Clara Schumann|Clara]] in 1840. In the years immediately following their wedding Schumann composed prolifically, writing, first, songs and song‐cycles including {{lang|de|[[Frauen-Liebe und Leben|Frauenliebe und Leben]]}} ("Woman's Love and Life") and {{lang|de|[[Dichterliebe]]}} ("Poet's Love"). He turned his attention to orchestral music in 1841, completing [[Symphony No. 1 (Schumann)|the first]] of his four symphonies. In the following year he concentrated on chamber music, writing three [[string quartets]], a [[Piano Quintet (Schumann)|Piano Quintet]] and a [[Piano Quartet (Schumann)|Piano Quartet]]. During the rest of the 1840s, between bouts of mental and physical ill health, he composed a variety of piano and other pieces and went with his wife on concert tours in Europe. His only opera, ''[[Genoveva]]'' (1850), was not a success and has seldom been staged since.

Despite the bitter opposition of Wieck, who did not regard his pupil as a suitable husband for her, Schumann married Wieck's daughter [[Clara Schumann|Clara]] in 1840. In the years immediately following their wedding Schumann composed prolifically, writing, first, songs and song‐cycles including {{lang|de|[[Frauen-Liebe und Leben|Frauenliebe und Leben]]}} ("Woman's Love and Life") and {{lang|de|[[Dichterliebe]]}} ("Poet's Love"). He turned his attention to orchestral music in 1841, completing [[Symphony No. 1 (Schumann)|the first]] of his four symphonies. In the following year he concentrated on chamber music, writing three [[string quartets]], a [[Piano Quintet (Schumann)|Piano Quintet]] and a [[Piano Quartet (Schumann)|Piano Quartet]]. During the rest of the 1840s, between bouts of mental and physical ill health, he composed a variety of piano and other pieces and went with his wife on concert tours in Europe. His only opera, ''[[Genoveva]]'' (1850), was not a success and has seldom been staged since.