Schumann, Clara

Early years

Family History

Clara Josephine's father Schumann Friedrich Wieck was a theologian by education. He graduated from the University of Wittenberg, after which he settled in Leipzig in 1814, where he began to teach piano, and also engaged in the sale and repair of instruments, in which he quickly gained a reputation as an expert. Clara's mother, Marianna Tromlitz ^[6], was a concert singer and pianist ^[7] . her father, Georg Christian Tromlitz, was a cantor in Plauner, and her grandfather, Johann Georg Tromplitz , was a famous flute player, master of flute making and composer. Marianne Tromplitz learned to play the piano with Friedrich Wick and married him in 1816. After marriage, she taught piano and in eight years of marriage gave birth to five children. Clara was the second child (the first daughter of Adelheid died in infancy), her younger brothers were Alvin, Gustav and Victor; at the time of the birth of Victor (1824), parents were already divorced (in 1824). Clara and her brothers stayed with her father. Mother married a second time to Adolf Bargil ^[8] and went to Berlin. Communication with children was reduced to correspondence and rare dates. After the death of her second husband in 1841, she continued to teach piano to feed herself and her four children born in a second marriage. One of her sons, Voldemar Bargil, became a composer and conductor.

After the divorce, Friedrich Wieck in 1828 married Klementina Feckner, who was 20 years younger than him. They had a daughter, Marie, whom his father also taught the piano.

Life with Father

After the parents divorced, Clara Vick remained at the age of five with her father. Friedrich Wieck, who devoted his life to raising his children, was authoritarian and strict. All attention was paid to Clara, whom he intended to declare because of her musical talent as a prodigy and virtuoso pianist. He took it a few years from elementary school and organized home-based training so that nothing would distract the girl from learning to play the piano and perfecting the technique.

From an early age, Clara’s career and life was planned by her father to the smallest detail. He gave her daily hourly lessons in piano, violin, taught her singing, theory, harmony, composition and counterpoint. In daily two-hour practice lessons, he used methods of training of his own design.

He kept a diary for his daughter while she was little, and wrote it on behalf of Clara. And later he had such a strong influence on her that he gained access to her diary entries. This explains the first recordings of nine-year-old Clara:

My father, who had long vainly hoped for a change in my awareness, today remarked again that I am still so lazy, careless, messy, stubborn, naughty, etc., that I showed this especially in playing the piano, and I played new variations (op. 26) of Hünten , in his opinion, so bad ... that he tore the music before my eyes, and from today he no longer wants to teach me a single hour, and I have nothing more I can’t play, except for scales, Kramer’s studies and exercises on the Czar’s trills.

Original text (German)

Mein Vater, der längst schon vergebens auf eine Sinnesänderung von meiner Seite gehofft hatte, bemerkte heute nochmals, daß ich immer noch so faul, nachlässig, unordentlich, eigensinnig, unfolgsam etc. sei, daß ich dies namentlich auch im Klavierspiel sei, und weil ich Hüntens neue Variationen op. 26 in seiner Gegenwart so schlecht spielte, ... so zerriß er das Exemplar vor meinen Augen, und von heute an will er mir keine Stunde mehr geben und ich darf nichts weiter spielen als die Tonleitern, Cramers Etüden und Czernys Trillerüben.

However, Klara Wieck played in Leipzig in the Gewandhaus Concert Hall when she was nine, and her solo official debut took place there at the age of 11. In addition, she performed in Paris when she was only 12, and shone in Vienna when she turned 18. Her talents were admired by Goethe , Paganini , Spur and young musicians: Chopin , Liszt and Mendelssohn .

Vick personally studied with his daughter and with great success. Clara was a kind of "advertisement" of his piano - teaching method, which also made concert pianists Robert Schumann and Hans von Bülow. Only after her paternal influence diminished did Clara Schumann begin to perform Beethoven, Bach and Schumann at her concerts. Prior to this, her program consisted of works by Friedrich Kalkbrenner, Camille Pleyel, Ignaz Mosheles and Henri Hertz.

Vick saw himself as an impresario of Clara, who organized her tour, often associated with difficulties. He took care of sending out invitations to the concert, choosing a comfortable hall and the condition of the instrument. Just the last point was especially difficult for both father and daughter. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was not uncommon that a piano - which cannot be taken with you in a mail carriage - is difficult to buy at the venue of the concert, and the existing one is not set up or not working. Before each concert, the question arose of how much the piano mechanic would interfere with the performer’s game. During execution, a key could suddenly become stuck or the damper could fail, due to which a clinking string ruined the entire game. Therefore, Vick always carried with him the whole set of tools and before the concert set up and repaired the piano. Soon, he went on to send a specially selected instrument to the venue in advance so that Clara could play the piano she knew.

In 1830, at the age of 11, Clara went on tour to Paris and other European cities, accompanied by her father. In Weimar, she performed a bravura play by Henri Hertz for Goethe, who awarded her a medal with his portrait and a note: “For the talented artist Clara Wieck.” During this tour, Niccolo Paganini invited Clara to perform with him on the same stage ^[9] . However, in Paris at her concert there were few listeners, as many left the city due to an outbreak of cholera ^[10] .

Wunderkind

It is known that Clara learned to speak very late. This probably happened at the age of 4, when she spent one year separately from her father and her grandparents. The psychological reason for this delay is supposed, but there is no unequivocal confirmation of this. At the age of 5, she began to intensively learn to play the piano, and on October 20, 1829 (at the age of 10) she first performed in public - she performed the play by F. Kalkbrenner with another student in four hands.

The Leipzig Universal Musical Newspaper wrote:

At the same concert, we were especially pleased to hear only the nine-year-old, with great musical data, Clara Wieck, who performed four-hand variations on the march from Moses by Kalkbrenner with general and well-deserved approval. Under the guidance of her experienced in music, the art of piano playing, perhaps understanding and at the same time lovingly acting father, we can pin her highest hopes

Original text (German)

In demselben Konzerte war es uns noch besonders angenehm, die erst neunjährige, mit vielen Musikanlagen ausgestattete Clara Wieck vierhändige Variationen über einen Marsch aus ‚Moses' von Kalkbrenner, mit allgemeinem und verdörnem beerm Unter der Leitung ihres musikerfahrenen, die Kunst des Pianofortespiels wohl verstehenden und dafür mit Liebe sehr tätigen Vaters dürfen wir von ihr die größten Hoffnungen hegen.

From December 1837 to April 1838, Clara Wieck held a series of concerts in Vienna (she was then 18 years old) ^[11] . Franz Grilparzer, Austria’s leading drama poet, wrote a poem entitled “Clara Wieck and Beethoven,” listening to Beethoven’s “Passionate” performed by her ^[11] . Critics' reviews were laudatory: Benedict Ranthartinger, a friend of Franz Schubert (1797-1828), gave the Vic family an autograph of Schubert's “Forest King”, signing it “For the Famous Artist Clara Wieck” ^[11]

Clara played in front of Goethe and was personally acquainted with Niccolo Paganini and Franz Liszt. In her youth, she performed in many cities, as well as in neighboring countries. In Vienna, at the age of 18, she was honored to be appointed imperial royal court virtuoso. Very early, she began to write music. Four polonaise op. 1 were published when Clara was 10 or 11 years old. This was followed by “Caprice in the form of a waltz”, “Romantic waltzes”, “Four characteristic plays”, “Musical evenings”, a piano concert and much more.

With Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann

In March 1828, at the age of eight, young Clara Wieck spoke at the home of Dr. Ernst Cara, director of a psychiatric hospital in Colditz Castle . There, she met another gifted young pianist, Robert Schumann, who was nine years her senior. Schumann was so delighted with Klara’s game that he asked his mother for permission to terminate a law degree that had never interested him and take music lessons from Klara’s father. During his training, for about a year, he lived in the house of Friedrich Vick. Robert was warm to the children: he even told Clara and her brothers his own tales. Then he dreamed of a student of Vic Ernestine von Friken, who was 3 years older than Clara, but refrained from engagement when he found out that she was an adopted child and did not have the right to inherit. He dedicated Ernestine Carnival. Klara always admired Robert Schumann and adored him. When she was 16 years old, they became closer. She was his “Tsiliya”, his “Chiara”, as he affectionately called her; he dedicated the play “Kiarina” to her.

Nevertheless, Clara’s father was completely not ready to give her to a poor, unprofessional young man who could no longer be a pianist, since inflammation of the tendons of the ring finger of his right hand prematurely ended his career. Even the fact that Robert was a successful music editor and founded his own journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik ^[12] could not convince him. Vick forbade any contact between the couple in love: dating and correspondence were prohibited. Vic got their separation by the fact that Clara had planned numerous concert tours. He watched her almost round the clock; he obviously deprived her of even ink so that she could not write. Clara's letters to Robert demonstrate this:

Just do not be offended by me that I wrote so terribly poorly, imagine that I am standing, and the sheet lies on the chest of drawers for which I am writing. To dunk my pen in the inkwell, I run to another room every time

Original text (German)

Nimm mir nur nicht übel, dass ich so fürchterlich schlecht geschrieben, doch stelle dir vor, dass ich stehe und das Blatt auf der Kommode liegt, worauf ich schreibe. Bei jedem Mal eindunken in das Tintenfass lauf ich in die andere Stube.

And in another letter:

I ask you, do not be angry that the letter turned out to be so short, think already 10 hours, and I write in complete dismay, standing in my room

Original text (German)

Ich bitt dich, sei mir nicht böse, dass der Brief so kurz wird, doch denke, es ist 10 Uhr und ich schreibe voll Herzensangst stehend in meiner Kammer.

Finally, in September 1839, Robert and Clara filed a complaint with the Leipzig court with a statement either to oblige Clara's father to agree to the planned marriage, or to formally consent. The process was delayed, not least by the actions of Friedrich Wieck, but on August 1, 1840, the court finally agreed to the marriage ^[13] , which took place on September 12, 1840 in the village church of Schönefeld ( German Schönefeld ) near Leipzig ^[14] . The first 4 years, the couple lived in today 's Schumann house in Leipzig . Famous people such as Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Hans Christian Andersen and Ferenc Liszt were in the house; concerts and readings were held in the concert hall in the house. Reconciliation between Vick and the Shuman couple took place in 1843, and Clara's father took the first step towards him.

Own family

The coveted marriage with Schuman caused some fears in Clara. Years of separation kept her love sublime; now she was faced with everyday difficulties. Although Clara was freed from her paternal authority, marriage nevertheless imposed certain restrictions on her life. Robert Schumann was not oppressive, but nevertheless it was he who determined relations in the family. Nevertheless, Clara Schumann finally got the opportunity to fill the gaps in general education. She read Goethe, Shakespeare, Jean Paul and more intensively than before, along with the musical works of her husband, studied the works of L. van Beethoven, I.S.Bach and F. Chopin.

Robert looked enthusiastically at Clara’s desire to give a concert; he wanted her to devote more time to him. At his request, Clara limited her piano lessons - otherwise Robert could not concentrate on composing music. The situation changed only when they moved to a large apartment in Dresden , where Clara could play the piano in a separate room. In addition, Schumann wanted Clara to do more composition. But here, Robert tried to influence his wife, as he seemed frivolous romantic works, limited in virtuosity and bravura. Clara had to write like him; his goal was the musical unity of the two. And thus, having published a cycle of songs in 1841, Schumann embarrassed the reviewers: they could not say which intonation to attribute to Robert, and which to Clara.

Robert kept a family diary in which the couple wrote in turn. After the diary that her father controlled, she kept a diary that her husband read. Nevertheless, this innovation of Schuman, known for his silence, was convenient in that it was possible to enter messages and requests into it when there were not enough words. Therefore, Clara benefited from the diary and used it to communicate her point of view to Robert. What was not completed in the conversation was reflected in the letter and could affect some of his decisions.

The Schumans had 8 children: Maria (1841–1929), Eliza (1843–1928), Julia (1845–1872), Emil (1846–1847), Ludwig (1848–1899), Ferdinand (1849–1891), Eugene ( 1851-1938) and Felix (1854-1879). They were raised and brought up, as it was then customary with the bourgeois, the nurse, or the nanny. After the death of Robert Schumann Clare, the children went to different cities: Maria and Eliza went to Leipzig, Julia to Berlin, Ludwig and Ferdinand to Bonn; only Eugene and Felix stayed with her. A cruel fate befell a few years later Ludwig, who was slow and awkward. Clara complained: “Ludwig is not my support,” and after a serious deterioration in his condition in 1870, she placed the young man in a psychiatric hospital in Colditz Castle, where he died in 1899.

Soon, Clara began to tour again. Not least of all, this was facilitated by the difficult financial situation of the family: the income from Clara’s concerts accounted for a significant share of the family budget. However, her concerts also helped Robert himself: since due to problems with his right hand he could no longer perform in public, she performed his works and made his music famous throughout Europe. Thus, she took care of his composer's fame.

She undertook a concert tour to Denmark (by rail) alone. In Russia, the royal family took her. She performed in 1844 in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and her husband accompanied her on this trip. Robert's dissatisfaction with Clara's successes is well known; ему не нравилось, что она играла главную роль в гастролях. Клара была знаменита и иногда тайком подсовывала ему деньги.

Тяжелые годы

В конце 1849 года Р. Шуман получил предложение стать музыкальным директором в Дюссельдорфе, куда семья и переехала в 1850 году. Клара давала концерты и помогала мужу в управлении оркестром и хором. Супругов удручала недисциплинированность музыкантов, вследствие которой репетиции и выступления не оканчивались желаемым успехом. Серьёзным испытанием для Шуманов в эти годы стал вынужденный переезд в пределах Дюссельдорфа, а также выкидыш Клары.

В начале 1854 года заболевание Роберта и, соответственно, нагрузки Клары достигли своего апогея. У Шумана нарастали «аффекты слуха»: он описывал не просто шумы, а скорее назойливые звуки вплоть до полных музыкальных произведений, которые не давали ему спать, причиняли невыносимые боли и нередко доводили до галлюцинаций. Дневниковые записи Р. Шумана сообщают об этом до 17 февраля 1854 года; затем подобные записи больше не встречаются. 27 февраля он пытался покончить с собой, бросившись в Рейн с понтонного моста, но был спасён ^[15] ; 4 марта 1854 года Роберта поместили в больницу в Энденихе близ Бонна. Клара в это время была беременна Феликсом, и врачи не рекомендовали ей видеться с мужем в его состоянии. В марте 1854 года Брамс, Иоахим, Альберт Дитрих, и Юлия Отто Гримм проводили время с Кларой, играя музыку для неё или вместе с ней, пытаясь отвлечь её от тяжелых дум ^[16] . Роберт скончался 29 июля 1856 года.

Собственный путь

Иоганнес Брамс

Каждая новая биография о Кларе Шуман ставит вопрос: что было между Кларой и Иоганнесом Брамсом? Клара познакомилась с композитором, который был на 14 лет моложе её, в 1853 году. На вечере знакомства Шуманов и Брамса в Дюссельдорфе он играл некоторые из собственных композиций для фортепиано соло. Супруги Шуман остались под глубоким впечатлением от выступления молодого композитора. Позже Роберт опубликовал статью, в которой высоко превозносил талант Брамса. Клара написала в дневнике, что Брамс «казалось, направлен прямо от Бога» ^[17] . Вскоре после госпитализации Шумана в 1854 году контакты Клары и Брамса стали интенсивнее. Брамс был влюблён в Клару, об этом свидетельствуют многочисленные письма. Однако то, что происходило между ними в 1854—1856 годах, освещено мало. По взаимному согласию Клара и Брамс уничтожили почти всю переписку того времени, вплоть до 1858 года. Брамс полностью выполнил соглашение; Клара же сохранила несколько писем, которые дают представление об их отношениях.

Известно, что Брамс некоторое время жил вместе с Кларой в дюссельдорфской квартире. Весьма редко он сопровождал её на гастролях. По его записям, он часто хотел бы её близости, но не решался:

Как часто я думал идти к Вам. Но я боялся неподходящего. Всё попадает в газеты

Оригинальный текст (нем.)

Ich dachte – wie oft daran, zu Ihnen zu gehen. Aber ich fürchtete das Unpassende. Es kommt ja alles in die Zeitungen.

В его письмах можно встретить все формы обращения: вначале «уважаемая госпожа», затем «самая дорогая подруга», «искренне любимая подруга» и, наконец, «возлюбленная госпожа Клара». В письме от 25 ноября 1854 внезапно сообщается:

Дражайшая подруга, как заботливо смотрит на меня уютное «ты»! Тысяча благодарностей, что я могу не только достаточно рассматривать и читать его, всё же я только слышал его; редко мне нужно было слово так, как при чтении Вашего последнего письма

Оригинальный текст (нем.)

Teuerste Freundin, wie liebevoll blickt mich das trauliche ‚Du' an! Tausend Dank dafür, ich kann's nicht genug ansehen und lesen, hörte ich es doch erst; selten habe ich das Wort so entbehrt, als beim Lesen Ihres letzten Briefes.

Он, как более молодой, не решался предложить «ты», и медленно подходил к такому интимному обращению. Однако в письме от 31 мая 1856 года он пишет совершенно ясно:

Моя любимая Клара, я хотел бы, я мог бы писать тебе так нежно, как я люблю тебя. Ты настолько бесконечно дорога мне, что я не могу описать это словами. Беспрерывно я хотел бы называть тебя любимой и всеми возможными [словами], не насыщаясь, льстить тебе. […] Твои письма мне как поцелуи

Оригинальный текст (нем.)

Meine geliebte Clara, ich möchte, ich könnte dir so zärtlich schreiben, wie ich dich liebe, und so viel Liebes und Gutes tun, wie ich dir's wünsche. Du bist mir so unendlich lieb, dass ich es gar nicht sagen kann. In einem fort möchte ich dich Liebling und alles mögliche nennen, ohne satt zu werden, dir zu schmeicheln. […] Deine Briefe sind mir wie Küsse.

Реакция Клары на восторг Брамса не передана. То, кем она хотела видеть себя, видно из её сохранённых дневниковых записей: Клара должна была войти в историю как прославленная художница — и как любящая, но ограниченная персоной Роберта Шумана. Интенсивность переписки между нею и Брамсом после смерти Р. Шумана в 1856 году заведомо снизилась, о чём можно судить по существу только по письмам от Брамса.

Tour

Клара впервые отправляется в Англию в апреле 1856 года (в то время Роберт был ещё жив, но уже не мог путешествовать). Она была приглашена играть на концерте в Лондонской филармонии под управлением дирижёра Уильяма Стерндэля Беннетта — хорошего друга Роберта ^[18] . Клара была недовольна малым количеством времени, затрачиваемого на репетиции, но была счастлива услышать виолончелиста Альфредо Пьятти: «такой уверенности я никогда не слышала» ^[19] , говорила она.

In October - November 1857, Clara and Joachim went on a joint concert tour to Dresden, Leipzig, Munich ^[20] . The Schumann family met the violinist Joseph Joachim in November 1844, when he was only 14 years old. A year later, Clara wrote in her diary that at a concert on November 11, 1845, “Joachim really liked it. He played Mendelssohn’s new violin concerto, they say, wonderful.” In May 1853, they heard Joachim playing a solo part in Beethoven's violin concerto. Clara wrote in his diary that he played “in the depths of poetic feeling, with all my heart in every note ... I can say that I never received such an indelible impression from any virtuoso” ^[21]

At St. James Hall in London, which opened in 1858, a number of chamber music concerts took place. Joachim appeared in London many times. Clara also spent several months in England and participated in concerts with Joachim and Piatti. More often at the same concert programs was the second violinist Joseph Rice and viola player Zerbini. In January 1867, Clara and Joachim went on tour to Edinburgh and Glasgow (Scotland) along with Piatty ^[22] , Rice and Zerbini, two English sisters “Miss Pynes”, a singer, and Mr. Saunders, who managed to agree on everything. In Edinburgh, Clara "was received with thunderous applause and she had to encore, so it was with Joachim and Piatti." Marie writes that “For long trips, we had a lounge with comfortable furniture, armchairs and sofas ... traveling ... was very convenient”

Recent years

In 1863, Clara moved to Baden-Baden. The following years were full of successful tours in numerous cities in Germany and Europe. Until her death, Clara remained a famous pianist. In 1878 she was invited as the "first piano teacher" to the newly created Conservatory. Joseph Hoch in Frankfurt (in which she taught until 1892). She greatly contributed to the improvement of modern piano technique.

She was also busy editing the works of R. Schumann and published a number of his letters. She gave her last concert on March 12, 1891 at the age of 71. On March 26, 1896, Clara suffered an apoplexy stroke and died a few months later at the age of 76. According to her desire, she was buried in Bonn in the Old Cemetery next to her husband. A small memorial plaque on Müliusstrasse 32 in Frankfurt recalls her last place of activity ^[23]

Head of Family

Clara Schumann carried out the financial well-being of her family. Part of her responsibilities included making money, which she did while giving concerts. But she continued to play throughout her life, not only for income, but because she was a concert performer by education and nature. She was the main and only breadwinner for her family when Robert was hospitalized and then died. She did most of the work of organizing her own concert tours. She hired a housekeeper and a cook to keep the house in order while she was away on her long trips. She refused to accept donations when a group of musicians offered to arrange a charity concert for her. When one of her children became disabled, she took responsibility for the maintenance of her grandchildren.

Children

Her life was tragic: four of her eight children and her husband died before her. The husband and one of her sons ended their lives in insane asylums. Clara's first son Emil died in infancy in 1847, at the age of one year. In 1854, her husband had a nervous breakdown, he tried to commit suicide and was placed in a psychiatric hospital, where he remained for the last two years of his life. In 1872, her daughter Julie died, leaving two young children aged two and seven. In 1879, her son Felix died at the age of 25, and in 1891, her son Ferdinand at the age of 42. Clara took on the education of the children of Felix. Son Ludwig suffered from a mental illness, like his father. At the end of her life, she herself became deaf, and needed a wheelchair. Marie's daughter was a great support and help to Clara, and when Clara was already at an advanced age, her daughter took over the duties of a home cook. It was Marie who discouraged Clara from continuing to burn letters and reported this to Brahms. But he returned with a request that these letters be destroyed. Another daughter, Eugene, who was too young to remember Robert, wrote a book about Clara and Brahms ^[24]

Opinions about other composers

She was initially interested in the works of Liszt, but later showed outright hostility to him. She stopped playing any of his works, refused to attend the centennial festival dedicated to Beethoven in Vienna in 1870, when she heard that Liszt and Richard Wagner would also participate in it ^[9]

She was especially harsh in relation to Wagner. Of the "Tannhäuser," Clara said he "erases himself in atrocities"; wrote how “terrible” “Lohengrin” was, and the opera “Tristan and Isolde” was “the most disgusting thing that I have ever seen or heard in my life” ^[9]

Clara Schumann as a composer

Father allowed the young Clara to engage in composition early with cantor Thomas Weinlig and bandmaster Heinrich Dorn. However, Eva Weissweiler concludes that these compositional exercises were more likely due to the fact that:

“Father Vick [...] rather with his characteristic businesslikeness found out that the success of the wonder prodigy everywhere would increase even more if she composed a little more; naturally, not as demanding piano music as the “Butterflies” of his student Robert Schumann, but brilliant and sentimental rondos, romances and capriccios ”

These lessons in composition were not too intense, therefore, especially in its first opuses, one can see shortcomings in theoretical teaching. When Robert Schumann discussed her Musical Evenings in his New Music Magazine, he described this flaw as a "foreign fantasy."

When discussing Klara Schumann as a composer, it must be taken into account that she was creating music at a time when this activity was considered unusual for a woman. About her piano concert a-moll op. 7, written between the ages of 14 and 15, music critic Karl Ferdinand Becker said that serious criticism is out of the question here, "since we are dealing with the work of a lady." Hans von Bülow noted in connection with her compositions: “I do not believe in the feminine noun: creator”

Modern British composer Ethel Smith believes that composing for Clara Schumann was never a priority. During the marriage, she composed more, probably for the sake of her husband. Therefore, it is not surprising that she finally stopped composing after his death. Today, the works of Clara Schumann are rarely performed. Moreover, they are by no means bad or low-grade. They are composed for their own performance, masterly and correspond to the musical taste of the XIX century.

The three songs from op.12 written by Clara Schumann belong to her best compositions, along with the op piano trio. 17 and three romances for piano and violin op. 22. The cycle of songs op. 13 to the poems of Heinrich Heine, Emanuel Geibel and Friedrich Rückert, which were subsequently published by Clara Schumann, were highly praised by her husband. A little later, he will write about her compositions like this:

“Clara wrote a lot of small plays, tender and very musical, as she had never been able to”

Her works reflect the cutting-edge trends of her time and resemble the works of other young composers of the romantic school: such as Robert Schumann, Mendelssohn and Chopin. The first outstanding work is her concert Op.7 (dedicated to Louis Spur), which she began to write at the age of 13 and first performed three years later in Leipzig (Gewandhaus) under the direction of Mendelssohn. This is a dramatic and innovative work, striking in its virtuosity and independence of musical thinking.

Interest in her work revived in 1970, when the first recordings of her works began to appear.

Clara Schumann as a virtuoso

As a virtuoso pianist, on the contrary, Clara had an exceptional position for her time. The beginning of the 19th century gave rise to a number of remarkable soloists whose mastery fascinated the public. Accordingly, there was great demand for solo performances by artists. In the first half of the XIX century, these artists were: violinists Paganini ("damn violinist) and Joseph Joachim.

Among the pianists who were in demand on stage as soloists, along with Clara Schumann are F.List, F. Chopin, Sigismund Talberg and Friedrich Kalkbrenner, whose reputation as unsurpassed pianists was impeccable. There were also objective circumstances that contributed to the development of virtuoso pianists. Instruments (weathercock and clavier) improved: steel strings were developed that increased the volume of sound and made instrument mechanics more complex than, for example, Beethoven or Gummel, who, as outstanding pianists of Vienna classicism, were still not able to enjoy Sebastian invented in 1821 Erard double-rehearsal mechanism.

What distinguished Clara Schumann was that she existed in the dominant world of men. Her play could not be reduced to the performance of salon plays - she played Beethoven’s complex sonatas and some of his piano concerts (for example, the fifth, which was considered difficult), she was famous throughout Europe and met with honors everywhere. her husband, on the contrary, constantly felt the need to fight for recognition. There are known questions that Robert Schuman asked when he accompanied Clara on a tour in Russia: “And you? What do you do?". Meanwhile, she enjoyed the respect that other women could not have at that time. The fact that her father and his strict school laid the foundation for this explains only a small part of her success. Clara Schumann was extremely talented, and she had a need to show her talent, even if she had to deal with circumstances that interfere with her (motherhood, the influence of Robert Schumann). The fact that her position at that time was outstanding was evidenced by the fact that Clara, along with such exceptional phenomena as, for example, Fanny Hansel (Mendelssohn's sister), was one of the few pianists of the 19th century who achieved great fame.

Joseph Sittard reports in “The History of Hamburg's Musical and Concert Life - from the 14th Century to the Present” (1890) ^[25] that Klara Schumann was considered “a favorite in Hamburg”. Her name was found in the period from 1835 to 1881. on the posters of the Philharmonic 19 times. that is, from 16 years old. Concerts took place instead of the Apollo Hall in the building of the Drehbahn railway station (near today's Hamburg State Opera). Founded in 1828, the Philharmonic Society used this hall during the first years of its existence for concerts.

The works of her husband, which Klara presented at her concerts, also interested the audience. She contributed to the publication of Schumann's writings by Breitkopf & Härtel after his early death, was the authoritative editor of his writings, and collected and published all his letters and diaries.

Its role in shaping the contemporary concert repertoire is also important: it was built on the basis of a statistical analysis of her repertoire, demonstrated in 1312 programs of all her public concerts.

The influence of Clara Schumann. Pupils

The influence of Clara Schuman spread through her students, who continued her school, which is characterized by melodiousness and technique, completely subordinate to the intentions of the composer. Among her students are Matilda Verne (worked in London), Karl Friedberg (America) ^[26]

Clara played an important role in the recognition, appreciation and inclusion of Robert Schuman's works in the repertoire of concert artists. She always promoted his work: starting from the moment when his music was still unknown or not loved.

Creative heritage

Although for many years after the death of Clara Schumann was not widely recognized as a composer, she left an opinion about herself as a brilliant pianist. And this opinion still exists. She was one of the first pianists to play from memory, which later became the standard for concert activities by performers. Her father taught her the game by ear and memory: the first public concert, consisting of the compositions that she played from memory, passed when the pianist was thirteen years old ^[27]

Clara Vick Concert List

Concerts for piano and orchestra ^[28]

In alphabetical order, composer, and then year (s) of performance by Clara:

• Bach, I. S. Concerto in D Minor for Piano No. 3, BWV 1063, 1844
• Beethoven, “The Emperor” Concert No. 5, 1844; 1855 ^[29] ; [23] 1862 ^[30] ; [24]. 1865, London ^[31] ; Concert No. 4, 1846; Concert No. 3, 1868
• Brahms, First Concert, 1861 ^[32]
• Chopin, first concert, finale, 1833; Second concert 1834, 1840
• Mendelssohn, second concert, 1856; 1869 ^[33]
• Mozart Concert No. 20 D minor, 1857 ^[34] ; Concert No. 24 c-moll 1863; Concerto No. 10 for two pianos, 1883
• Schumann, Clara, her first concert of 1835 ^[35] , Mendelssohn conducting the orchestra. Gewandhouse Leipzig
• Robert Schumann, Concerto in A Minor. January 1, 1846; 1866 ^[36]

Clara also played concerts of lesser known composers at present: Adolf von Henselt (1837, 1844), Ignaz Mosheles (1831), and Bernard Scholz (1875)

Trio (for violin, cello and piano)

• William Bennett Sterndel, Op. 26, 1867
• Brahms, third trio, 1887
• Mendelssohn, first trio, 1843; Second Trio, 1860
• Schubert, first trio, 1849
• Schumann, Clara, Trio in G Minor, Op. 17, 1846
• Schumann, Robert, First Trio, Op. 63, 1849; Second Trio, Op. 80, 1851; Third Trio 1852

Piano quartets (violin, viola, cello, piano)

• Brahms. First Quartet, Op. 25, 1861, at the premiere; Quartet II, Op. 26, 1861 1865; 1866
• Robert Schumann Piano Quartet 1844, 1849

Piano Quintets (String Quartet and Piano)

• Brahms Piano Quintet, Op. 34, 1880 ^[37]
• Robert Schumann's Piano Quintet, Op. 44, 1843, at the premiere

Own works

Orchestral and chamber music

• Concert for piano op. 7 (1833-1836) a-moll
• Piano Trio op.17 (1846) g-moll
• Concert for piano (1847) f-moll
• Three Romances (D-dur, g-moll, B-dur) (1853)

Compositions for Piano

• Four polonaises op. 1 (1829-1830) E-dur, C-dur, D-dur, C-dur.
• Study (early) A-dur (1830s)
• Caprices in the form of a waltz op. 2 (1830-1832)
• Romance op. 3 (1830-1831) C-dur
• Romantic Waltzes op.4 (1835)
• Four characteristic plays op.5 (1833-1836). Impromptu. Caprice. Romance. Fantastic scene.
• Musical evenings op.6 (1834-1836). Toccatina. Ballad. Nocturne. Polonaise. 2 mazurkas.
• Concert Variations on the Pirate Cavatina op.8 (Bellini) 1837
• Memories of Vienna. Impromptu for piano op.9 (1838)
• Scherzo d-moll op.10 (1838)
• Three romances. e-moll, g-moll, A-dur op. 11 (1838-1839)
• Six Songs Accompanied by Piano op.13 (1840)
• 12 poems by F. Ruckert “Spring of Love” for voice and piano (Clara and Robert Schumann). Op. 12. No. 2, 4, 11 - authorship of Clara Schumann (1841)
• Scherzo c-moll op.14 (1841)
• Four fluent plays F-gur, a-moll, D-dur, G-dur op.15 (1840-1844?)
• Sonata g-moll (1841-1842)
• Impromptu E-dur (1884)
• Three Preludes and Fugues g-moll, B-dur, d-moll op.16 (1845)
• Prelude and Fugue f-moll (1845)
• Prelude e-moll (1845)
• Variations on the themes of Robert Schumann. a-moll op. 20 (1853)
• Three romances a-moll, F-dur, g-moll op.22 (1853-1855)
• Romance a-moll (1853)
• Romance b-moll (1856)
• March (1879)

Compositions for Voice

• "Evening Star" (early 1830s)
• Waltz (1833) verses J. Lyser
• Three Songs to Poems F. Rückert (1841)
• Folk Song (1840) verses by H. Heine
• “Good night” to verses F. Rückert (1841)
• Six Songs to Poems by German Poets (1840-1843)
• "Lorelei" to the verses of H. Heine (1843)
• “The Sorrow of Parting” verses by F. Rückert (1843)
• “Oh, you, my star” to verses F. Serre (1846)
• “When They Parted” in verses by F. Serre (1846)
• Three Mixed Choirs (1848)

Famous Portraits

There are many portraits of Clara Schumann. In Germany, her image was placed on a banknote of 100 marks. It is based on the lithography of Andreas Staub in 1838, which idealizes the pianist - as was previously accepted. Clara herself was unhappy with many of her images. Most of all, she liked the pastel drawing of Franz von Lenbach of 1879, which depicts her at the age of almost 60 years.

Schools and Streets Named after the Famous Pianist

In Bonn there is a gymnasium named after Clara Schumann. In Leipzig, the Free Elementary School moved in 2001 to the building on Inselsstrasse 18 , in which Robert and Klara Schumann lived between 1840 and 1844. Also in the cities of Goltsvikeda and Dulken and Zwickau there are gymnasiums named after Clara Wieck, in Verdau - music school named after Clara Vick. Клараштрассе в Дрездене названа также в честь Клары Шуман, в Эмдене — существует улица им. Клары Вик, в Лейпциге и Берлине — улицы им. Клары Шуман. В Дюссельдорфе имеется Городская музыкальная школа им. Клары Шуман.

Театральные постановки

Пианистка. Эпилог ^[38] (2010). Книга и идея: Katrin Schinköth-Haase, музыкальная постановка: Maria-Clara Thiele. Katrin Schinköth-Haase (действующее лицо и певица) и Maria-Clara Thiele (действующее лицо и пианистка (Флюгель))

Валерия Моретти: Клара Шуман. Постановка в театре Караван,Сплит. В ролях Ksenija Prohasnka и Iryna Smirnova ^[39]

Таинственный шепот (2012 театр Opernloft, Гамбург). Для сопрано и меццо-сопрано Susann Oberacker и Inken Rahardt. Песни и пьесы для фортепиано Клары Шуман, Роберта Шумана и Иоганнеса Брамса.

Образы Клары Шуман в кинематографе

Она была изображена на экране неоднократно. Наиболее известным является американский фильм 1947 года «Песнь любви» . В роли Клары Шуман снялась знаменитая Кэтрин Хепбёрн , Пол Хенрейд сыграл Роберта Шумана, а Роберт Уокер — молодого Иоганнеса Брамса ^[40] .

Во франко-немецко-венгерском фильме 2008 года «Возлюбленная Клара» роль Шуман исполнила немецкая актриса Мартина Гедек .

В фильме «Весенняя симфония» (1983) рассказывается о Кларе в возрасте с 9 до 21 года (режиссёр Петер Скамони), с Настасьей Кински и Гербертом Грёнемайером в главных ролях).

Клара Шуман в отечественном музыкознании

В отечественном музыкознании фигура Клары Шуман рассматривается неотделимо от композитора Роберта Шумана. Отдельные работы появились в 21 веке: можно выделить диссертацию Н. А. Шохиревой, посвященную фортепианному искусству ^[41] Клары Шуман, а также докторскую работу О. В. Лосевой «Роберт и Клара Шуман: русские пути. К проблеме взаимодействия культур» ^[42] .

• Berthold Litzmann: Clara Schumann. Ein Künstlerleben. Nach Tagebüchern und Briefen. 3 Bände, 7. Auflage. Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1920. (Б. Литцман. Клара Шуман: жизнь художника в дневниках и письмах. В трех томах. Breitkopf & Härtel (Лейпциг, 1920)
• Gerd Nauhaus und Ingrid Bodsch (Hrsg.): Robert und Clara Schumann. Ehetagebücher Stroemfeld, Bonn/Frankfurt a. M. 2007, ISBN 3-86600-002-2 .(Г. Наухаус и И. Бодх: Роберт и Клара Шуман. Брачные дневники. (Бонн/Франкфурт, 2007))
• Veronika Beci: Die andere Clara Schumann. Droste, Düsseldorf 1997, ISBN 3-7700-1080-9 . (В.Бечи. Другая Клара Шуман. Droste (Дюссельдорф, 1997))
• Beatrix Borchard: Clara Schumann — Ihr Leben. Eine biographische Montage. 3. überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage 2015, Olms, Hildesheim, ISBN 978-3-487-08553-1 . (Б.Борхард. Клара Шуман — её жизнь. Биографический монтаж. 3 издание, дополненное и переработанное. Olms (Хильдесхайм, 2015))
• Beatrix Borchard: Robert Schumann und Clara Wieck. Bedingungen künstlerischer Arbeit in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts. Furore, Kassel, 2. Auflage 1992, ISBN 3-927327-06-9 . (Б.Борхард. Роберт Шуман и Клара Вик. Условия художественного произведения в первой половине XIX века. Furore (Кассель, 1992)
• Marion Brück: Schumann, Clara Josephine geborene Wieck. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 23, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-428-11204-3 , S. 746—749 (Digitalisat). (М.Брюк. Клара Жозефина, урождённая Вик. Новая немецкая биография в 23 томах. Duncker & Humblot (Берлин, 2007)
• Wolfgang Held: Clara und Robert Schumann. Insel, Frankfurt 2001, ISBN 3-458-34415-2 . (В.Хелд. Клара и Роберт Шуман. Insel (Франкфурт, 2001)
• Dieter Kühn: Clara Schumann, Klavier — Ein Lebensbuch. Fischer, Frankfurt 1998, ISBN 3-596-14203-2 . (Д.Кюн. Клара Шуман, фортепиано — книга жизни. Fischer (Франкфурт, 1998))
• Den Lebenden schulden wir Rücksichtnahme, den Toten nur die Wahrheit. Eine Einführung in Friedrich Wiecks Welt der philisterhaften Mittelmäßigkeit und besseren Salonmusik, In: Friedrich Wieck — Gesammelte Schriften über Musik und Musiker […] , Tomi Mäkelä, Christoph Kammertöns und Lena Esther Ptasczynski (eds.), Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2019, s. 15-49. ISBN 978-3-631-76745-0 .
• Monica Steegmann: Clara Schumann. Rowohlt, Reinbek 2001, ISBN 3-499-50424-3 . (М.Стигман. Клара Шуман. Rowohlt (Райнберг 2001))
• Eva Weissweiler: Clara Schumann: eine Biographie. 3. Auflage. Hoffmann & Campe, Hamburg 1991, ISBN 3-455-08332-3 . (Е.Вайсвеллер. Клара Шуман: биография. 3 издание. Hoffmann & Campe (Гамбург, 1991))
• Barbara Meier: Robert Schumann. 3. Auflage. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-499-50522-3 . (Б.Майер. Роберт Шуман. 3 издание. Rowohlt (Гамбург, 2001))
• Hans A. Neunzig; Johannes Brahms. 19. Auflage. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2002, ISBN 3-499-50613-0 . (Ганс А.Нойнцих. Иоганнес Брамс. 19 издание. Rowohlt (Гамбург, 2002) 2002,)
• Nancy B. Reich: Clara Schumann, the artist and the woman. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca/London 2001, ISBN 0-8014-8637-8 , ISBN 0-8014-3740-7 . (Н. Б. Райх. Клара Шуман: Художник и женщина. Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca (Лондон, 2001) ISBN 0-8014-8637-8 )
• Janina Klassen: Clara Schumann: Musik und Öffentlichkeit. Köln, Weimar, Wien: Böhlau-Verlag 2009, ISBN 978-3-412-19405-5 . (Я.Классен. Клара Шуман: Музыка и общественность. Кёльн, Веймар, Вена. Böhlau-Verlag (2009))
• Florence May: The girlhood of Clara Schumann (Clara Wieck and her time). Travis & Emery, London 2009 [Reprint] = Facsimile of edition published by Edward Arnold, London 1912, ISBN 978-1-84955-036-9 . (Ф.Мей. Юность Клары Шуман: Клара Вик и её время (Лондон, 1912))

• Complete works of Clara Schumann-Wieck
• Шуман, Клара: ноты произведений на International Music Score Library Project