Clara Wieck Schumann (1818-1896)
certainly represents one of the most famous composers in the history of music. Born in Leipzig in an environment of great musical traditions, with her mother Marianna Tromlitz, from a family of opera singers, and her father Friedrich, tutor, teacher and pianist, Clara showed an early artistic attitude. When he was five, his parents separated and was entrusted to his father, who decided to exploit his talents, beginning to give her piano and composition lessons. At the age of nine he was already able to write music and he also officially debuted as a soloist at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, starting a long piano career. Clara's life changed profoundly in 1830, when twenty-year-old Robert Schumann began studying piano at the Wieck house. In 1835 the two became engaged secretly and, in 1837, Robert officially asked his father for his hand, receiving a violent refusal. It is not difficult to understand the hostility of Wieck for Schumann who, in the event of his daughter's marriage, would have lost the economic revenues deriving from his performances. Added to this is the fact that he was probably aware of Robert's psychological lability. In any case, the two fiancés won and, in 1840, at the end of a tough legal battle, obtained permission to marry without Wieck's consent. The union had to deal with the mental disorders of Schumann, who was eventually admitted to an asylum, where he spent the last two years of his life, from 1854 to 1856. Widowed, Clara dedicated herself body and soul to the spread of her husband's works, helped by colleagues and friends, including Brahms, while continuing his work as a prestigious and acclaimed soloist.
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