Schumann

Robert Schumann - one of the most beloved composers of the Romantic movement - embodied the passion and imaginative spirit of his age. Known for his musical and literary genius and his legendary romance with his wife Clara, Schumann was also plagued by debilitative bouts of depression that led him to live his last days in a German mental asylum. This biography recreates the dynamics of the man and his music, and offers insights into his final years and his lasting musical achievements.Based on Schumann´s recently published journals, letters, extensive research, the author aims to render a balanced portrait of the composer. Biographical chapters alternate with commentary on Schumann´s piano, choral, symphonic, and operatic works, demonstrating how the circumstances of his life helped shape the music he wrote at various periods. Chronicling the forbidden romance of Robert and Clara, Jensen offers a nuanced look at the evolution of their relationship. He also follows Schuman´s creative musical criticism, which championed the burgeoning careers of Chopin, Liszt, and Brahms, and challenged the musical tastes of 19th-century Europe. He also presents evidence that Schumann - locked away in the asylum at Endenich - had returned sufficiently to health to justify his removal from confinement a year before his death. Like the innovations of his final compositions from 1845-1854, his sanity was overlooked and misunderstood by his contemporaries.