Schumann, Robert

Born in the small town of Zwickau ( Saxony ) on June 8, 1810 in a merchant family of a book publisher, writer, poet August Schumann (1773-1826). He was the youngest, beloved son in the family, he had three brothers (Edward, Karl, Julius) and sister Emilia ^[4] .

Schumann took his first music lessons from local organist Johann Kunsch; at the age of 10 he began to compose, in particular, choral and orchestral music. He attended a gymnasium in his hometown, where he became acquainted with the works of J. Byron and Jean Paul , becoming their passionate admirer. The moods and images of this romantic literature over time were reflected in the music of Schumann. As a child, he became involved in professional literary work, writing articles for the encyclopedia published by his father’s publishing house. He was seriously interested in philology, performed pre-editorial proofreading of a large Latin dictionary. And Schumann's school literary works were written at such a level that they were posthumously published as an appendix to the collection of his mature journalistic works. In a certain period of his youth, Schumann even hesitated whether to choose the field of a writer or musician.

In 1828 he entered the University of Leipzig , and the next year he transferred to the University of Heidelberg . At the insistence of his mother, he planned to become a lawyer, but the music more and more dragged on the youth. He was attracted by the idea of ​​becoming a concert pianist. In 1830, he received permission from his mother to fully devote herself to music and returned to Leipzig, where he hoped to find a suitable mentor. There he began taking piano lessons from Friedrich Wick and composition from Heinrich Dorn .

During training, Schumann gradually developed paralysis of the middle finger and partial paralysis of the index finger, which is why he had to abandon the idea of ​​a professional pianist career. There is a widespread version that this damage occurred due to the use of a finger simulator (the finger was tied to a cord that was suspended from the ceiling, but could “walk” up and down according to the winch principle), which Schumann allegedly independently made according to the type of popular while the Dactylion finger simulators Henry Hertz ( 1836 ) and Happy Fingers Tiziano Poli . Another unusual but common version says that Schumann, in an effort to achieve incredible virtuosity, tried to remove the tendons on his hand that connected the ring finger to the middle and little finger. None of these versions has any evidence, and both were disproved by Schumann's wife. Schumann himself linked the development of paralysis with excessive handwriting and excessive piano playing. A modern study by musicologist Eric Samsa, published in 1971, suggests that the cause of finger paralysis could be the inhalation of mercury vapor , which Schumann, on the advice of doctors of the time, might have tried to recover from syphilis . ^{[5] [6]} But medical scientists in 1978 considered this version doubtful, suggesting, in turn, that paralysis could result from chronic compression of a nerve in the region of the elbow joint ^[7] . To date, the cause of Schumann's malaise remains undetermined.

Schumann seriously engaged in composition and at the same time musical criticism. Having found support in the person of Friedrich Wick , Ludwig Schunke and Julius Knorr , Schumann was able in 1834 to found one of the most influential musical periodicals in the future - the New Musical Newspaper ( German: Neue Zeitschrift für Musik ), which he edited and regularly for several years published his articles in it. He established himself as an adherent of the new and a fighter against the outdated in art, with the so-called philistines, that is, those who, with their limitedness and backwardness, impeded the development of music and constituted a bastion of conservatism and burgherism.

In October 1838, the composer moved to Vienna , but in early April 1839 he returned to Leipzig. In 1840, the University of Leipzig awarded Schumann the title of Doctor of Philosophy. In the same year, September 12 , in the village church of Schönefeld near Leipzig, Schumann was married to the daughter of his teacher, the outstanding pianist Clara Josephine Wick ^[8] . In the year of marriage, Schumann created about 140 songs. Several years of marriage, Robert and Clara went happily. They had eight children. Schumann accompanied his wife on concert trips, and she, in turn, often performed her husband's music. Schumann taught at the Leipzig Conservatory , founded in 1843 by F. Mendelssohn .

In 1844, Schuman and his wife went on a tour to St. Petersburg and Moscow , where they were received with great honor. ^[9] In the same year, Schumann moved from Leipzig to Dresden . There for the first time signs of a mental disorder appeared. It was only in 1846 that Schumann recovered so much that he was able to compose again.

In 1850, Schumann received an invitation to the post of city director of music in Dusseldorf . Soon, however, clashes began there, and in the autumn of 1853 the contract was not renewed. In November 1853, Schumann and his wife went on a trip to Holland , where he and Clara were received "with joy and with honor." However, in the same year, symptoms of the disorder began to appear again. At the beginning of 1854, after an aggravation of mental disorder, Schumann attempted suicide by rushing into the Rhine , but was saved. He had to be placed in a psychiatric hospital in Endenich near Bonn . In the hospital, he almost did not compose, sketches of new compositions were lost. Occasionally he was allowed to see his wife Clara. Robert died on July 29, 1856 . Buried in Bonn.

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  Schumann House in Zwickau

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  Robert Schumann, Vienna, 1839

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  Composer's Music Room at the Schumann Museum in Zwickau

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  Robert and Clara, 1847

In his music, Schumann more than any other composer reflected the deeply personal nature of romanticism . His early music, introspective and often bizarre, was an attempt to break with the tradition of classical forms, which, in his opinion, were too limited. In many ways related to the poetry of G. Heine , Schumann's work challenged the spiritual wretchedness of Germany in the 1820s - 1840s, called into the world of high humanity. The heir to F. Schubert and K. M. Weber , Schumann developed the democratic and realistic tendencies of German and Austrian musical romanticism. Little understood during his life, most of his music is now regarded as a bold and original phenomenon in harmony , rhythm and form . His works are closely connected with the traditions of German classical music.

Most of Schumann’s piano works are cycles from small pieces of lyric-dramatic, visual and “portrait” genres, interconnected by an internal storyline-psychological line. One of the most typical cycles is “Carnival” (1834), in which sketches, dances, masks, female images (among them Kiarina - Klara Vick), musical portraits of Paganini , Chopin are held in a varied line . The “Butterflies” (1831, based on the works of Jean Paul) and “ Davidsbyundlers ” (1837) are close to the “Carnival”. The series of plays “Kreislerian” (1838, named after the literary hero E. T. A. Hoffmann - musician-visionary Johannes Kreisler) belongs to the highest achievements of Schumann. The world of romantic images, passionate longing, a heroic impulse are reflected in Schumann’s compositions for piano as “Symphonic Etudes” (“Etudes in the Form of Variations”, 1834), Sonatas (1835, 1835–1838, 1836), Fantasy (1836–1838) , concert for piano and orchestra (1841-1845). Along with works of variational and sonata types, Schumann has piano cycles built on the principle of a suite or an album of plays: Fantastic Fragments (1837), Children's Scenes (1838), Album for the Young (1848), etc.

In vocal creativity Schumann developed the type of lyrical song by F. Schubert. In a subtly designed drawing of songs, Schumann displayed details of moods, poetic details of the text, intonations of a living language. The role of piano accompaniment in Schumann, which has significantly increased, provides a rich outline of the image and often dwells on the meaning of the songs. The most popular of his vocal cycles is The Poet's Love, based on poems by G. Heine (1840). It consists of 16 songs, in particular, “Oh, if the flowers had guessed”, or “I hear the sounds of the song”, “I meet in the garden in the morning”, “I am not angry”, “In the dream I cried bitterly”, “You are evil , evil songs. " Another plot vocal cycle - “Love and the life of a woman” to the verses by A. Chamisso (1840). Songs of various meanings are included in the Myrtle cycles to verses by F. Rückert , IV Goethe , R. Burns , G. Heine, J. Byron (1840), and The Circle of Songs to verses by J. Eichendorf (1840). Schumann touched on a very wide range of subjects in vocal ballads and stage songs. A vivid example of Schumann’s civil lyrics is the ballad “Two Grenadiers” (to the verses by G. Heine). Some of Schumann’s songs are simple sketches or everyday portrait sketches: their music is close to a German folk song (“Folk Song” to verses by F. Ruckert and others).

In the oratorio “Paradise and Peri” (1843, on the plot of one of the parts of the “eastern” novel “ Lalla Rook ” by T. Moore ), as well as in “Scenes from Faust” (1844-1853, by I.V. Goethe), Schumann came close to realizing his old dream of creating an opera. Schumann's only complete opera Genoveva (1848) on the plot of a medieval legend did not win recognition on the stage. Schumann's music for the dramatic poem Manfred by Byron (overture and 15 musical numbers, 1849) was a creative success.

In the 4 symphonies of the composer (the so-called "Spring", 1841; The second, 1845-1846; the so-called "Rhine", 1850; The Fourth, 1841-1851) bright, cheerful moods prevail. A significant place in them is occupied by episodes of a song, dance, lyric-picture character.

Schumann made a great contribution to musical criticism. Promoting the works of classical musicians on the pages of his magazine, fighting against the anti-artistic phenomena of our time, he supported the new European romantic school. Schumann scourged virtuoso smartness, indifference to art, which hides under the guise of well-intentionedness and false scholarship. The main of the fictional characters on whose behalf Schumann spoke on the pages of the press are the ardent, frantically impudent and ironic Florestan and the gentle dreamer Eusebius. Both symbolized the polar character traits of the composer himself.

Schumann's ideals were close to the advanced musicians of the 19th century. He was highly appreciated by Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz , Franz Liszt . In Russia, the work of Schumann was promoted by A. G. Rubinstein , P. I. Tchaikovsky , G. A. Larosh , figures of The Mighty Handful . The musicologist L. L. Sabaneev, in his article “Robert Schumann and Russian music”, indicating that “Schumann played a huge role in Russian music as an inspirer and driver - maybe more than all other Western composers” wrote: “Only Schumann turned out to be the composer, the most exciting for Russian art and somehow deeply merging with it. He is present in Russian music with his influence almost from its very birth - only the “childhood period” should be excluded ” ^[10] .

I.F. Stravinsky also noting Schumann’s influence on the development of European music and advocating the need to respect national identity in art, wrote: “Tchaikovsky, of course, could not avoid German influences. But even if Schumann influenced him, and no less, for example, than on Gounod , this did not prevent him from remaining Russian, and Gounod - French. They both used the purely musical discoveries of the great German, who himself was an excellent musician, borrowed phrases from him, the characteristic features of his musical language, not at all obeying his way of thinking ” ^[11] .

Here are works often used in concert and teaching practice in Russia, as well as large-scale works, but rarely performed.

For piano

Concerts

Vocal works

• The Circle of Songs ( Liederkreis ), op. 24 (v. Heine , 9 songs)
• Myrtle, op. 25 (to verses of various poets, 26 songs)
• The Circle of Songs, op. 39 (lyrics by Eichendorf , 12 songs)
• “Love and the life of a woman”, op. 42 (lyrics by Chamisso , 8 songs)
• The Poet's Love ( Dichterliebe ), op. 48 (lyrics by Heine, 16 songs)
• “Seven songs. In memory of the poetess Elizabeth Kulman ”, op. 104 (1851)
• “Poems of Queen Mary Stuart”, op. 135, 5 songs (1852)
• Genova. Opera (1848)

Chamber music

• Three string quartets
• Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 63
• Piano Trio No. 2 in F Major, Op. 80
• Piano Trio No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 110
• Piano Quintet in E Flat Major, Op. 44
• Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, Op. 47

Symphonic music

Overtures

• K. Schumann . Piano transcriptions of a number of songs
• F. Liszt . Piano transcriptions of a number of songs, including the song "Dedication".
• G. Mahler . Reorientation of all four symphonies
• A. Glazunov . Reorientation of Symphony No. 3
• J. Sell . Reorientation of all four symphonies

Musical fragments in the Ogg Vorbis format:

• Phantasie, Op. 17:

I. Semper Fantasticamente ed Appassionatamente

II. Moderato, Semper energico

III. Lento sostenuto Semper piano

• Kinderszenen, Op. 15, No. 7 "Träumerei"

The full cycle of Schumann's symphonies was recorded by the conductors :

• Nicolaus Arnoncourt , Leonard Bernstein , Karl Boehm , Douglas Bostok , Anthony Wit , John Eliot Gardiner , Christoph von Donagni , Wolfgang Zavallisch , Herbert von Karajan , Otto Klemperer , Rafael Kubelik , Kurt Masur , Riccardo Muti , George Selloli Haykneppe Giuseppe , Philippe Herrevege , Sergiu Celibidache (with different orchestras), Ricardo Chailly , Georg Solti , Christoph Eschenbach , Paavo Järvi .

• A complete list of works by Schuman
• Robert Schuman Award
• Robert Schuman International Competition

• Solovyov N.F. , -. Schumann, Robert-Alexander // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Memoirs of Robert Schumann / Comp., Comment., Foreword. O. V. Loseva; Per. A.V. Mikhailova and O.V. Loseva. - Composer. - M. , 2000. - ISBN 5-85285-225-2 ; 5-89598-076-7.
• Gansburg G.I. Song Theater of Robert Schuman // Musical Academy. - 2005. - No. 1 . - S. 106-119 .
• Hanzburg G. Theatricalization in Robert Schumann's Vocal Cycles: A Study. - Saarbrücken: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing, 2012 .-- 128 p. ISBN 978-3-659-10435-0
• Grokhotov S. V. Schuman and surroundings: Romantic walks on the "Album for the Young." - M. , 2006. - ISBN 5-89817-159-2 .
• Grokhotov S.V. Schuman: Carnival. - M. , 2009. - ISBN 978-5-89817-285-5 .
• Zhitomirsky D.V. Robert and Klara Schumann in Russia. - M. , 1962.
• Zhitomirsky D.V. Robert Schuman: Essay on Life and Creativity. - M. , 1964. || . - 2nd ed. - M. , 2000.
• Karminsky M.V. Dramaturgy of the life of Robert Schuman // Kharkiv Assembly-1995: International Music Festival “Robert Schumann and the Misty Young”: Зб. Mater. / Order G. І. Hansburg - Kharkiv, 1995 .-- S. 7-18 .
• Merkulov A. Schumann's Piano Suite Cycles. - M., 2011
• Robert Schumann and the Crossroads of Music and Literature: Sat. scientific Tr / Comp. G.I. Hansburg. - Kharkov: RA - Caravel, 1997 .-- 272 p. - ISBN 966-7012-26-3 .
• Sviridenko S. Schuman and his songs. - SPb. , 1911.

• Records of Schumann on the site ArtOfPiano.ru ( unopened ) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment October 3, 2008. Archived October 3, 2008.
• Robert Schumann (unopened) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment July 4, 2019. Archived January 9, 2016. Russian-language site dedicated to the composer
• Robert Schumann: sheet music at International Music Score Library Project
• Music festival "Schuman resonances" (neopr.) . Archived on November 28, 2012.
• Konstantinova G. Music of romanticism: what was it like? Robert Schumann. (unopened) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment May 26, 2012. Archived on April 19, 2012.
• Schumann. Complete libretto of operas in Russian