Robert Schumann

On Tour
Play Radio

2,094,592 plays (327,335 listeners)

Shop now at Amazon | Send Robert Schumann Ringtones to Cell
More options
Add to my Library
Born in 1810 in Zwickau, Robert Schumann was a German romantic Composer of the 19th century. His main focus was the , an instrument for which he composed numerous masterworks, despite his lack of virtuosity. Starting piano lessons around the age of ten, Schumann never acquired the level of skill comparable to his contemporaries such as Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt or his wife, Clara Schumann, due to an injured right hand, thought to be the result of either a syphilis treatment, or a surgery to increase the strength and reach of his fingers. Music was also a passion that he started later in his life than most great composers. He first focused on publishing and then law, before pursuing his love of music, “Poetry vs. Prose”, as he put it. Around 1840 Schumann began to venture beyond the piano and write more diversely instrumented works. He composed 4 symphonies, several concerti, hundreds of songs, as well as notable chamber music, including 3 string quartets and a piano Quintet. He died in 1856 in a mental institution 2 years after attempting suicide by leaping into the Rhine. It is still debated whether his mental breakdown was caused by syphilis or a bipolar disease. There is strong evidence on both sides of the argument.
Throughout his life Schumann was a notable music critic and writer, publishing many works. He was noted for attempting to revive the music of the 18th century, that of Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven which had taken a back seat to the “liberation” of which he himself was a large proponent.
Read more… Edit

Shouts: 158 shouts

Share this artist:

Top Albums

See more

Top Tracks

1
592
2
368
3
328
4
309
5
273
6
258
7
205
8
196
9
180
10
173
11
150
12
105
13
100
14
98
15
82
Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3
See more

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).
See all 158 shouts

Videos

See more

Events

See more Add event

Listening Now

Top Listeners

See more

Recent Activity

Related Journals

See more

More Information

Links
Labels