A Love Song for two voices. The story of Clara and Robert Schumann

February may not be a picturesque month, but it is shrouded in an aura of romanticism. Remembering the holiday of lovers, we recall the story of perhaps the most famous “musical” couple of the 19^th century – Clara and Robert Schumann.

℘ Beginnings ℘

Clara Wieck and Robert Schumann met in 1828. At the time, eighteen-year-old Schumann came to Leipzig to study law and take piano lessons from Friedrich Wieck, father and teacher of the then nine-year-old Clara, whose talent and early successes on stage (she debuted in 1828) were a living advertisement for Wieck’s school. Robert was his student, with breaks, until 1832 – from that time comes the portrait of Clara Wieck at the age of 13, which is in our collection. Even after completing his studies, Schumann did not forget about his master’s daughter: he composed Impromptus sur une romance de Clara Wieck in 1833, Carnaval containing a musical portrait of Clara/Chiarina (alongside other “portraits,” including F. Chopin) in 1835 and he also wrote about the promising pianist in the “Neue Zeitschrift für Musik.” The couple were already in love by 1836; for Clara’s sake, Robert broke off a two-year engagement to another pianist and Wieck’s student, Ernestine von Fricken.

℘ Adversity ℘

Clara’s father was not pleased with this turn of events and forbade the young couple from meeting. At that time, Miss Wieck was developing a piano career under her father’s supervision, achieving successes, among others, in Berlin and Vienna; her best-known likeness comes from this period. However, the young couple did not stop corresponding, and this is how their secret engagement came about. Wieck’s opposition and public accusations against his son-in-law candidate ended in… the court, which finally allowed the marriage to take place. Wieck then took care of the piano education of his second daughter, Marie.

℘ The Triumph of Love ℘

The wedding took place in 1840, called by Schumann’s biographers the “year of song.” It was then that the composer created his most outstanding works in this genre, including the famous cycles Frauenliebe und Leben (‘A Woman’s Love and Life’) with lyrics by A. Chamisso and Dichterliebe (‘A Poet’s Love’) with lyrics by H. Heine. The song cycle also became the seal of the first year of the Schumanns’ married life – in 1841, their joint collection Zwölf Lieder aus F. Rückerts Liebesfrühling to poems by F. Rückert was published (also written out of a heartfelt impulse – the poet wrote them the year he met his future wife Luise). On 13 June 1839, Robert wrote to Clara that posterity would see them as one heart and one soul, unable to distinguish what one created and what the other. And indeed, the style of the songs of both spouses is so similar that at first glance it is difficult to tell which one is whose author.

℘ Marriage ℘

The history of the Schumanns’ marriage is a story of great love and often successful artistic collaboration, but Clara’s fears, expressed in their engagement correspondence, about her ruining her piano career by getting married turned out to be partly justified. She had to limit both her piano practice (so as not to interfere with Robert’s composing) and her concert activity, and on the few tours – including Russia in 1844 and Holland in 1853 – she was usually accompanied by her husband. Robert had a significant influence on shaping his wife’s performing style and the selection of her repertoire, while she supported his artistic career and promoted his compositions throughout his life. After Schumann’s death, Clara prepared (with J. Brahms) a collected edition of her husband’s works.