Biography of Schumann, a brief summary of the most important things. Beginning of composing activity

Biography

Schumann House in Zwickau

Robert Schumann, Vienna, 1839

Major works

Here are presented works that are often used in concert and pedagogical practice in Russia, as well as works of large scale, but rarely performed.

For piano

• Variations on the theme "Abegg"
• Butterflies, op. 2
• Davidsbündler Dances, Op. 6
• Carnival, op. 9
• Three sonatas:
  • Sonata No. 1 in F sharp minor, op. 11
  • Sonata No. 3 in F minor, op. 14
  • Sonata No. 2 in G minor, op. 22
• Fantastic Pieces, op. 12
• Symphonic Etudes, op. 13
• Scenes from Children, Op. 15
• Kreisleriana, op. 16
• Fantasia in C major, op. 17
• Arabesque, op. 18
• Humoresque, op. 20
• Novellettes, op. 21
• Vienna Carnival, op. 26
• Album for Youth, op. 68
• Forest Scenes, op. 82

Concerts

• Konzertstück for four horns and orchestra, op. 86
• Introduction and Allegro Appassionato for piano and orchestra, op. 92
• Concerto for cello and orchestra, op. 129
• Concerto for violin and orchestra, 1853
• Introduction and Allegro for piano and orchestra, op. 134

Vocal works

• "Myrtles", op. 25 (poems by various poets, 26 songs)
• "Circle of Songs", op. 39 (lyrics by Eichendorff, 20 songs)
• "Love and Life of a Woman", op. 42 (lyrics by A. von Chamisso, 8 songs)
• "The Poet's Love", op. 48 (lyrics by Heine, 16 songs)
• "Genoveva". Opera (1848)

Symphonic music

• Symphony No. 2 in C major, op. 61
• Symphony No. 3 in E flat major “Rhenish”, op. 97
• Symphony No. 4 in D minor, op. 120
• Overture to the tragedy "Manfred" (1848)
• Overture "Bride of Messina"

See also

Links

• Robert Schumann: Sheet music at the International Music Score Library Project

Musical fragments

Attention! Musical fragments in Ogg Vorbis format

• Semper Fantasticamente ed Appassionatamente(info)
• Moderato, Sempre energico (info)
• Lento sostenuto Sempre piano (info)

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See what “Robert Schumann” is in other dictionaries:

SCHUMANN, ROBERT ALEXANDER (Schumann, Robert Alexander) ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810 1856), German composer. Born in Zwickau (Saxony) on June 8, 1810. Schumann took his first music lessons from a local organist; at the age of 10 he began to compose, including... Collier's Encyclopedia

Robert Schumann(8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856), German composer and music critic.

German composer Robert Schumann wanted “music to come from the depths of the present and not only be pleasant fun and beautiful in sound, but also strive for something else.” This very desire sharply distinguishes Robert Schumann from many composers of his generation, who sinned with meaningless writing.

P. Tchaikovsky believed that future generations would call it the 19th century. Schumann period in the history of music. And indeed, Schumann’s music captured the main thing in the art of his time - its content was the “Mysteriously deep processes of spiritual life” of a person, its purpose was to penetrate into the “depths human heart" Schumann fought for progress in music with all his might.

Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810 into a very unmusical family. His father was the famous bookseller Friedrich August Schumann in Zwickau, and he himself was the youngest of five children. At the age of seven, he began taking piano lessons from organist I. Kunsht, improvising, and composing plays.

Schumann's first bold attempt was to compose, in the twelfth year of his life, an instrumental and choral music on the 150th Psalm. This experiment was bold because at that time he did not have the slightest idea about the theory of composition.

His parents insisted that the young man become a lawyer. For several years he waged a stubborn struggle for the right to follow his calling. To please his mother and guardian, Schumann practiced law in Leipzig as far as duty dictated, but no more, and perhaps even less. It was then that he began to develop an attraction to music. He took piano lessons from Friedrich Wieck (Clara's father - future wife). He was inspired by the works of Franz Schubert, with whom he first became acquainted.

A vacation trip to beautiful Venice in 1829 planted more than one sprout of future musical flowers in his soul.

The following year, Schumann went to Frankfurt am Main to listen to Paganini. Some apt words in his diary reveal a poet who admires the beauties of nature and art. After all these delights, of course, it was not easy to sit down decorously again and, starting in order from the first chapter of the pandects, puzzle over the articles on the “Division of Royal Law.”

Finally, on June 30, 1830, Robert decided to take an important step - to devote himself to music. He wrote a long letter to his mother, in which he directly announced his intention. kind woman was greatly alarmed, doubting whether Robert would be able to “earn his daily bread” through his musical talent. However, she asked Vic for advice in writing, and when he approved of Robert’s intentions, her mother agreed. Robert moved to Leipzig and became Wieck's student and lodger.

But soon his fate changed again. Crazy was the operation to which Schumann subjected his right hand to quickly gain fluency in playing the piano. Middle finger stopped working; despite medical care, the hand became forever incapable of playing the piano. Schumann had to forever abandon the desire to become a pianist. But now he began to become more and more interested in composing musical plays.

Schumann finally decided to seriously study the theory of musical compositions. He did not take lessons from music director Kuntsch for long and completed a thorough study of his subject under the guidance of Heinrich Dorn. His attitude towards Vic remained the best. Extraordinary musical abilities Clara Wieck, who was then barely out of childhood, was excited lively participation Robert, who, however, was then only interested in her talent.

In 1833, the musician Schunke came to Leipzig from Stuttgart, and Schumann entered into an almost chimerical alliance of friendship with him.

He found a female musical friend in Henriette Focht, a student of Ludwig Berger; but his heart was owned at that time by Ernestina von F. from Asch, in Bohemia.

At the end of 1833, as Schumann himself said, “Every evening several people, mostly young musicians, gathered as if by chance; the immediate purpose of these gatherings was an ordinary public meeting; but, nevertheless, there was a mutual exchange of thoughts about music and art, which was an urgent need for them.” The then far from brilliant state of music was the reason that “one day it occurred to young, hot-headed people not to be idle spectators of this decline, but to try again to elevate poetry and the arts.”

Schumann, together with Friedrich Wieck, Ludwig Schunke and Julius Knorr, founded the magazine "New Musical Newspaper", which had a huge influence on the development of musical art in Germany. For many years, he himself wrote articles for the magazine under various pseudonyms and fought against the so-called philistines, that is, against those who, with their narrow-mindedness and backwardness, hampered the development of music. As a music critic, he appreciated the importance of F. Chopin, G. Berlioz, I. Brahms, who were his contemporaries, recognizing the enormous value of his predecessors - Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert. Schumann was an exceptional expert on German literature.

Active studies in composition have borne fruit. Schumann creates a whole series interesting works. Among them piano cycles from small plays or miniatures: “Butterflies” (1831), “Davidsbündlers” (1837). They, like “Fantastic Pieces” (1837), “Kreisleriana” (1838), have program titles born from the composer’s imagination or indicating a connection with literature. Thus, “Kreisleriana” is reminiscent of the works of the German romantic E. A. Hoffmann. It brings to life the image of the inspired musician Fritz Kreisler, his dreams, dreams and visions. Kreisler, deeply suffering from philistinism in life and art, wages a courageous duel with it. This single fighter is akin to Schumann himself.

In “Butterflies” - one of Schumann’s first published works - we see a picture of a costume ball, where, according to the composer’s plan, the heroes of J. P. Richter’s book “The Years of Youth” meet. These are two brothers (one is dreamy and thoughtful, the other is impetuous and hot) and a young girl with whom both are in love.

One of Schumann's most original works is the piano cycle “Carnival” (1835). These motley, fantastic paintings embodied much of the life, hobbies and thoughts of the young Schumann at the time of his creative heyday.

Schumann had an amazing ability to create portraits of people in music, to express in one stroke the most characteristic things in a person’s appearance or in his mood. Such is his “Carnival”, where characters under the masks of Pierrot and Harlequin, cheerful butterflies or dancing letters seem to be spinning in a swift dance or slowly passing, immersed in their thoughts. Here are the composer’s contemporaries: the famous violinist N. Paganini and great poet piano F. Chopin. But Florestan and Eusebius. This is what Schumann called the characters he invented, on whose behalf he wrote articles about music. Florestan is always on the move, in flight, in dance, he jokes sharply and caustically, his speech is hot and impetuous. Eusebius loves to dream in solitude, he says quietly, soulfully.

Florestan and Eusebius, Chopin and Paganini, Chiarina (under this mask appears Clara Wieck) are members of the union invented by Schumann. At the end of “Carnival” they all speak out against ordinary people who are alien to everything new and bold in art - in the “March of the Davidic Brotherhood”. These are the brightest and most joyful pages of his work. The novelty and unusualness of Schumann's music was most clearly manifested in his piano pieces ah, created in the 1830s in Leipzig. In addition to those already mentioned, these are three sonatas (1835, 1833-1838, 1836), “Symphonic Etudes” (1834), fantasy (1837), “Novelettes” (1838). Schumann considered the piano an instrument for expressing feelings and moods inspired by both emotional experiences and natural phenomena or literary subjects.

Schumann's interest in the piano increased thanks to happy marriage with Clara Wieck, who is known to be an excellent pianist. For her, the author created an extremely valuable piano concerto in A minor. The frequently performed Cello Concerto in A minor and Schumann's many chamber works provide convincing evidence of the composer's progressive New Romantic orientation.

So, in the 1830s, Schumann was already the author of many original plays, but the composer had to learn from experience “that fame advances with the steps of a dwarf, while fame flies on the wings of a storm.” For most amateurs, his compositions were too difficult and incomprehensible; for specialist musicians, they seemed too eccentric, too deviating from tradition.

Mendelssohn had a huge influence on Schumann's work. Schumann, in his own words, “looked at him as if he were high mountain", he "expressed daily thoughts worthy of being set in gold." Schumann owes a lot to Mendelssohn. Without it, he would be in danger of wasting his extraordinary talent on a variety of witty and original musical jokes.

Meanwhile, Schumann's love for Ernestine von F. gradually weakened and finally disappeared completely. Clara has already become an adult girl, and Schumann could not help but notice this charming creature, gifted with extraordinary musical talent. Clara became a poetic ideal for Schumann, and since she reciprocated his feelings and both wanted a lasting union, Schumann had to take care of ensuring his existence.

In 1838, he decided to settle in Vienna and publish his magazine there. In October 1838, the composer moved to Vienna. However, he became convinced too soon that Vienna had ceased to be German soil. classical music. At the beginning of April 1839, Schumann returned to Leipzig.

The year 1840 was a turning point in Schumann's life. The University of Leipzig awarded him the title of Doctor of Philosophy, and thus he received a title that meant quite a lot in Germany. On September 12, 1840, Robert and Clara were married in a church in Schönfeld. It is not surprising that then happy time Robert Schumann is a subtle master in depicting the nuances of feelings and moods; he created the cycles “Circle of Songs”, “Love and Life of a Woman”, “Love of a Poet”, “Myrtles” and others.

After his marriage, Schumann worked with patient diligence. The most successful, the most wonderful works he dates back to this time, especially his First Symphony and Oratorio<<Пери и рай>>, performed for the first time on December 4, 1843 in Leipzig. His wife, in her feminine, amazing devotion, tried, if possible, to protect him from all the everyday trifles of life, from everything that could upset and stop him musical activity, or that, perhaps, she did not consider worthy of attention. Thus, she was an intermediary between her husband and practical life.

Almost the only area of ​​activity where he broke out of the vicious circle of his soul was teaching in the “Teaching Institute”, established in 1843 in Leipzig and run by Mendelssohn. Music school piano and score playing and exercises in compositions.” The artistic journey he took with his wife to St. Petersburg and Moscow in 1844 brought them a lot of pleasure - they were received with great honor everywhere. In order to be able to devote himself entirely to writing, he handed over the editorial office of Novaya Gazeta to its former employee, Oswald Lorenz. This newspaper fulfilled its purpose: it put a barrier to soulless musical products, as well as frivolous frivolity in music, and paved the way for that direction in art that is imbued with a poetic spirit and strives for serious goals.

Schumann left Leipzig and settled in Dresden. Then for the first time in 1844 signs of it appeared mental illness. The composer's nerves were completely upset due to mental overstrain. It was not until 1846 that he felt sufficiently recovered to be able to compose again.

He completes one of his major works- Second symphony. In total, Schumann wrote four symphonies, among which the First - “Spring” (1841) and the Fourth - in D minor (1851) stand out.

The artistic journey in the first months of 1847 to Prague and Vienna was a pleasant change and entertainment. In the same year, Schumann began composing the opera Genoveva (based on the famous medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant). Genoveva did not make Schumann popular. Her music lacks what is absolutely necessary for opera - lively, sensual tactility, strong contrasts, bright, sharp colors.

Whether or not the composer was greatly upset by the cold reception of “Genoveva” is unknown, only this failure did not stop his desire for creativity. Something alarming can be seen in the speed with which he, especially since 1849, creates one extensive work after another. Schumann's Songs "K" sunlight», « Spring night"and others written during this period became extremely popular.

Before the world had time to become acquainted with “Manfred,” Schumann appeared again with the oratorio “Rose’s Wanderings,” with music based on a plot from “Faust,” with overtures, symphonies, trios, with countless notebooks of songs, piano pieces, etc. The metaphor of his favorite author (in Titan) is very suitable for this period: “The excessive light and brilliance of this constellation seems to foreshadow the sunset and the last day.”

In Schumann’s music for the tragedies “Faust” by Wolfgang Goethe and “Manfred” by George Byron, in his revolutionary marches, choirs and songs “To the Death of a Hero”, “Soldier”, “Smuggler”, romantic excitement, dreaminess, trepidation are combined with rebellion and love of freedom. During the days of the 1848 revolution, the composer wrote in his diary: “And people must fight so cruelly for a drop of freedom! Will the time come when everyone will be equal in their rights?

In 1850, Schumann received an invitation to the post of city director of music in Düsseldorf. A great musical poet is not always a good conductor, and vice versa. This is what happened with Schumann: he had no qualities at all a good conductor. The composer himself thought differently, however. In Düsseldorf, disagreements began too soon, and in the fall of 1853 the whole matter fell apart: the contract was not renewed. This could also have extremely painfully wounded Schumann’s soul, which was already very tender and sensitive, but he did not show his experiences due to his secretive character.

The last ray of light was his trip to Holland in November 1853, where he and Clara were received in all cities “With joy and honor.” He “was surprised to see that his music in Holland had become almost more native than in his fatherland itself.” However, in the same year, painful symptoms began to appear again, and at the beginning of 1854 they suddenly appeared with even greater force. Death, which followed on July 29, 1856, put an end to this suffering.

But, despite Schumann’s sad fate, we can still consider him happy. He fulfilled the task of his life: he left in the memory of his descendants an example of a true German artist, who was full of honest straightforwardness, nobility and spirituality. When talking about their greatest musical poets, people will also remember the name of Schumann.

Born on June 8, 1810 in the German city of Zwickau in the family of a bookseller. From the very early age Young Robert showed a bright talent for both music and literature. The boy learned to play the organ, improvised on the piano, created his first work - a Psalm for choir - at the age of thirteen, and in the gymnasium he made great progress in studying literature. Undoubtedly, if his life line had gone in this direction, then here too we would have had a bright and outstanding philologist and writer. But the music still won!

At the insistence of his mother, the young man studies law in Leipzig, then in Heidelberg, but this does not attract him at all. He dreamed of becoming a pianist and studied with Friedrich Wieck, but injured his fingers. Without thinking twice, he began writing music. Already his first published works - “Butterflies”, “Variations on a Theme of Abegg” - characterize him as a very original composer.

Schumann is a recognized and undoubted romantic, thanks to whom we now fully know this movement - romanticism. The composer's nature was entirely permeated with subtlety and dreaminess; it was as if he was always hovering above the ground and lost in his fantasies. All the contradictions of the surrounding reality are aggravated to the limit in this nervous and receptive nature, which leads to withdrawal into one’s inner world. Even fantastic images in Schumann’s work this is not the fantasy of legends and traditions, like many other romantics, but the fantasy of one’s own visions. Close attention Every movement of the soul is determined by an inclination towards the genre of piano miniatures, and such plays are combined into cycles (“Kreisleriana”, “Novelettes”, “Night Pieces”, “Forest Scenes”).

But at the same time, the world knows another Schumann - an energetic rebel. His literary talent also finds a “point of application” - he publishes “New music magazine" His articles take on various forms - dialogues, aphorisms, scenes - but they all glorify true art, which is not characterized by either blind imitation or virtuosity as an end in itself. Schumann sees such art in his works Viennese classics, Berlioz, Paganini. He often writes his publications on behalf of fictional characters- Florestan and Eusebius. These are members of the Davidsbund (Brotherhood of David) - a union of musicians who oppose themselves to the philistine attitude towards art. And let this union exist only in the imagination of the creator - musical portraits its members are included in the piano cycles “Davidsbundlers” and “Carnival”. Among the Davidsbundlers, Schumann includes Paganini, and, and - under the name Chiarina - Clara Wieck, the daughter of his mentor, a pianist who began her performing career at the age of eleven.

Robert felt affection for Clara Vic already when she was a child. Over the years, his feeling grew with her - but Friedrich Wieck wanted a wealthier husband for his daughter. The lovers’ struggle for their happiness lasted for years - in order to prevent their meetings, the father planned many tours for the girl and forbade her to correspond with Robert. The desperate Schumann was engaged for some time to another, Ernestina von Fricken, who also became one of the Davidsbundlers under the name Estrella, and the name of the city in which she lived - Asch - is encrypted in the main theme of "Carnival" ... But he could not forget Clara , in 1839, Schumann and Clara Wieck went to court - and only in this way did they manage to get Wieck’s consent to the marriage.

The wedding took place in 1840. It is noteworthy that in that year Schumann wrote many songs based on poems by Heinrich Heine, Robert Burns, George Gordon Byron and other poets. It was not only a happy marriage, but also a fruitful one. musically. The couple traveled all over the world and performed in a wonderful duet - he composed, and she played his music, becoming the first performer of many of Robert's works. Until now, the world has not known such couples and will not know, apparently, for a long time...

The Schumanns had eight children. In 1848, for the birthday of his eldest daughter, the composer created several piano pieces. Later, other plays appeared, combined into a collection called “Album for Youth.” The very idea of ​​​​creating light piano pieces for children's music playing was not new, but Schumann was the first to fill such a collection with specific images, close and understandable to a child- “The Brave Rider”, “Echoes of the Theatre”, “The Cheerful Peasant”.

From 1844 the Schumanns lived in Dresden. At the same time, the composer experienced an exacerbation of his nervous disorder, the first signs of which appeared back in 1833. He was able to return to composing music only in 1846.

In the 1850s. Schumann creates quite a lot of works, including symphonies, chamber ensembles, program overtures, teaches at the Leipzig Conservatory, acts as a conductor, and leads a choir in Dresden and then in Düsseldorf.

Schumann paid great attention to young composers. His last journalistic work becomes the article “New Paths”, where he predicts a great future.

In 1854, after an aggravation mental disorder which led to a suicide attempt, Schumann was admitted to a psychiatric hospital and died on July 29, 1856.

Musical Seasons

Schumann's music embodied the most characteristic features German romanticism- psychologism, passionate striving for the ideal, intimacy of tone, sharpness of irony and bitterness from the feeling of the squalor of the bourgeois spirit (as he himself said, the “screaming dissonances” of life).

Schumann's spiritual formation began in the 20s years XIX a century when Romanticism in Germany had just experienced its brilliant heyday in literature; the influence of literature on Schumann's work was very strong. It is difficult to find a composer whose interweaving of music and literature would be as close as his (except perhaps Wagner). He was convinced that “the aesthetics of one art is the aesthetics of another, only the material is different.” It was in Schumann’s work that the deep penetration of literary patterns into music, characteristic of the romantic synthesis of the arts, took place.

• direct combination of music with literature in vocal genres;
• appeal to literary images and plots (“Butterflies”);
• the creation of such musical genres as cycles of “stories” (), “Novelettes”, lyrical miniatures similar to poetic aphorisms or poems (“Leaf from an Album” fis-moll, plays “The Poet Speaks”, “Warum?”).

In his passion for literature, Schumann went from the sentimental romanticism of Jean Paul (in his youth) to the keen criticism of Hoffmann and Heine (in his mature years), and then to Goethe (in his later period).

The main thing in Schumann's music is the sphere of spirituality. And in this emphasis on the inner world, which increased even in comparison with Schubert, Schumann reflected the general direction of the evolution of romanticism. The main content of his work was the most personal of all lyrical themes - love theme. Inner world his hero is more contradictory than that of Schubert's wanderer from The Beautiful Miller's Wife and Winterreise, his conflict with the outside world is sharper, more impulsive. This increase in disharmony brings Schumann’s hero closer to the late romantic one. The very language in which Schumann “speaks” is more complex; it is characterized by the dynamics of unexpected contrasts and impetuosity. If we can talk about Schubert as a classical romantic, then Schumann in his most characteristic works is far from the balance and completeness of the forms of classical art.

Schumann is a composer who created very directly, spontaneously, at the behest of his heart. His comprehension of the world is not a consistent philosophical embrace of reality, but an instant and acutely sensitive recording of everything that touched the artist’s soul. The emotional scale of Schumann's music is distinguished by many gradations: tenderness and ironic joke, stormy impulse, dramatic intensity and dissolution in contemplation and poetic dreams. Character portraits, mood pictures, images of inspired nature, legends, folk humor, funny sketches, poetry of everyday life and intimate confessions - everything that a poet’s diary or an artist’s album could contain was embodied by Schumann in the language of music.

“The lyricist of brief moments,” as B. Asafiev called Schumann. He reveals himself especially uniquely in cyclic forms, where the whole is created from many contrasts. Free alternation of images, frequent and sudden changes of mood, switching from one plan of action to another, often the opposite, is a very characteristic method for him, reflecting the impulsiveness of his worldview. Romantic literary short stories (Jean Paul, Hoffmann) played a significant role in the formation of this method.

Schumann's life and career

Robert Schumann was born on June 8, 1810 in the Saxon city Zwickau, which at that time was a typical German province. The house in which he was born has survived to this day; now there is a museum of the composer.

It is no coincidence that the composer’s biographers are attracted by the personality of his father, from whom Robert Schumann inherited a lot. He was a very intelligent, extraordinary man, passionately in love with literature. Together with his brother, he opened a book publishing house in Zwickau and bookstore"The Schumann Brothers". Robert Schumann adopted both this father's passion for literature and the outstanding literary gift that later reflected so brilliantly in his critical activity.

The interests of young Schumann were concentrated mainly in the world of art. Even as a boy, he wrote poetry, arranged in the house theatrical performances, reads a lot and improvises at the piano with the greatest pleasure (he began composing at the age of 7). His first listeners admired his amazing ability young musician create musical portraits of familiar people in improvisations. This gift of a portrait painter will subsequently also manifest itself in his work (portraits of Chopin, Paganini, his wife, self-portraits).

The father encouraged his son's artistic inclinations. He took his musical vocation very seriously - he even agreed to study with Weber. However, due to Weber's departure to London, these classes did not take place. Robert Schumann's first music teacher was the local organist and teacher Kunst, with whom he studied from the age of 7 to 15.

With the death of his father (1826), Schumann's passion for music, literature, and philosophy came into very intense conflict with the desires of his mother. She categorically insisted that he receive a law degree. According to the composer, his life turned "into the struggle between poetry and prose." In the end, he gives in, enrolling in the law faculty of the University of Leipzig.

1828-1830 - university years (Leipzig - Heidelberg - Leipzig). Despite the breadth of interests and curiosity of Schumann, his studies in science did not leave him completely indifferent. And yet he feels with increasing force that jurisprudence is not for him.

At the same time (1828) in Leipzig, he met a man who was destined to play a huge and controversial role in his life. This is Friedrich Wieck, one of the most authoritative and experienced piano teachers. A clear proof of the effectiveness of Vic's piano technique was the playing of his daughter and student Clara, who was admired by Mendelssohn, Chopin, and Paganini. Schumann becomes Wieck's student, studying music in parallel with his studies at the university. From the age of 30, he devoted his life entirely to art, having dropped out of university. Perhaps this decision arose under the impression of the playing of Paganini, whom Schumann heard in the same 1830. It was exceptional, completely special, reviving the dream of artistic career.

Other impressions of this period include trips to Frankfurt and Munich, where Schumann met Heinrich Heine, as well as a summer trip to Italy.

Schumann's compositional genius was revealed in its entirety in 30s, when his best piano works appear one after another: “Butterflies”, “Abegg” variations, “Symphonic Etudes”, “Carnival”, Fantasia in C major, “Fantastic Pieces”, “Kreisleriana”. The artistic perfection of these early works seems implausible, because only in 1831 Schumann began to systematically study composition with the theorist and composer Heinrich Dorn.

Schumann himself associates almost everything he created in the 30s with the image of Clara Wieck, with the romantic their love story. Schumann met Clara back in 1828, when she was in her ninth year. When friendly relations began to develop into something more, an insurmountable obstacle arose on the path of the lovers - the fanatically stubborn resistance of F. Vic. His “concern for his daughter’s future” took extremely strict forms. He took Clara to Dresden, forbidding Schumann to maintain any contact with her. For a year and a half they were separated by a blank wall. The lovers went through secret correspondence, long separations, a secret betrothal, and finally an open trial. They married only in August 1840.

The 30s were also a heyday musical-critical And literary activity Schumann. At its center is the fight against philistinism, philistinism in life and art, as well as the defense of advanced art and the education of public taste. The remarkable quality of Schumann the critic is his impeccable musical taste, a keen sense of everything talented, advanced, regardless of who the author of the essay is - world celebrity or a beginner, unknown composer.

Schumann's debut as a critic was a review of Chopin's variations on a theme from Mozart's Don Giovanni. This article, dated 1831, contains famous phrase: “Hats off, gentlemen, before you is a genius!” Schumann also unmistakably assessed his talent, predicting the then unknown musician the role of the largest composer of the 19th century. The article on Brahms (New Paths) was written in 1853, after a long break from Schumann's critical activity, once again confirming his prophetic instincts.

In total, Schumann created about 200 amazingly interesting articles about music and musicians. They are often presented in the form of entertaining stories or letters. Some articles remind diary entries, others - live scenes with the participation of many characters. The main participants in these dialogues invented by Schumann are Frorestan and Eusebius, as well as Maestro Raro. Florestan And Eusebius - it's not only literary characters, this is the personification of two different sides of the composer’s personality. He endowed Florestan with an active, passionate, impetuous temperament and irony. He is hot and quick-tempered, impressionable. Eusebius, on the contrary, is a silent dreamer, a poet. Both were equally inherent in Schumann’s contradictory nature. In a broad sense, these autobiographical images embodied two opposite versions of romantic discord with reality - violent protest and peace in a dream.

Florestan and Eusebius became the most active participants in Schumanov's "Davidsbünda" (“The League of David”), named after the legendary biblical king. This "more than a secret alliance" existed only in the mind of its creator, who defined it as "spiritual community" artists who united in the fight against philistinism for true art.

Introductory article to Schumann's songs. M., 1933.

For example, just like the creators of the romantic story in literature, Schumann was important to the effect of the twist at the end, the suddenness of its emotional impact.

A tribute to admiration for the playing of the brilliant violinist was the creation of piano studies based on the caprices of Paganini (1832-33).

In 1831, both Schumann and Chopin were only 21 years old.

Belongs to the 2nd generation of romantics. I felt even more acutely the difference between the subtle, sensitive nature of the artist and the world around him. All his life he rebelled against philistinism. This also manifests itself in music.

Schumann's music is distinguished by its particularly acute psychologism and penetrates deeply into the state of the human soul. He very subtly reflected the change of these states in music. He has a direct contact between a passionate impulse and immersion in a world of dreams. In many ways, he reflected the properties of his nature - duality.

An important property of Schumann’s music is fantasy, but this is not folk fantasy, but, as it were, the world of his soul, visions, dreams, very individualized. This is also evident in musical criticism. He was very gifted in the field of literature. He wrote novels, stories, as well as articles in the genre of short stories, plays, letters, dialogues and other works. The heroes of these articles were very unusual characters. He invented for himself the “Brotherhood of David” - a society. Its members are Davidsbündlers. There he included Mozart, Paganini, Chopin, as well as Clara Wieck (his wife), as well as Florestan and Eusebius. Florestan and Eusebius are fictitious names (these are, as it were, two halves of his personality that argued with each other). He used them as pseudonyms. Maestro Raro reconciled the dreamy Eusebius and the stormy Florestan.

Schumann supported the best in art. He was the first to talk about Chopin, supported Berlioz, and wrote articles about Beethoven. His last article was an article on Brahms. In 1839 he found Schubert's symphony - C major and performed it, and in 1950 he became one

from the organizers of the Beethoven Society. Schumann's work is associated with German romantic literature. His favorite poet is Jeanne Paul ( real name- Richter). Under the impression of the works of this writer, a play was written - "Butterflies". Loved the poet Hoffmann. Kreisleriana was written under the influence of his works. Great influence rendered to Heine. His poems were written on vocal loops- “Circle of Songs” and “Love of a Poet”.

Schumann liked to use carnival in his works (because there is a change of characters). Musical language Schumann is very subtle. Contact with folk music not the same as Schubert's. There is no obvious example. The melodies are more declamatory. The harmonic language becomes more complex. The texture is subtle, melodic and polyphonic. The rhythm is capricious, whimsical.

Schumann wrote many works: about 50 collections of pieces for piano, variations on the theme of Abegg, “Butterflies”, “Carnival”, symphonies, etudes, “Dances of the Davidsbündlers”, fantastic plays, “Kreisleriana”, “Vienna Carnival”, short stories, etc. , 3 sonatas for piano, fantasy, more than 200 songs, vocal cycles: “The Love of a Poet”, “Circle of Songs” on Hein, “Myrtles”, “Circle of Songs” on poems by Eichendorff, “Love and Life of a Woman” on poems by Chamisso, Spanish love songs, songs from "Wilhelm Meister" (Goethe), 4 symphonies, concertos for piano, cello and violin and orchestra, Stück concerto for piano and orchestra, Stück concerto for 4 horns and orchestra, 3 string quartets, piano quartet, piano quintet, 3 piano trios, 2 violin sonatas, other chamber ensembles, oratorio "Rye and Perry", opera "Genoveva", music for dramatic performances, about 200 critical articles - selected articles about music and musicians.

Zwickau

Schumann was born into the family of a book publisher. Since childhood, both literary and musical abilities have manifested themselves. Until the age of 16, Schumann did not know who he would be. He studied at the gymnasium, composed poetry, wrote comedies and dramas. Studied Schiller, Goethe, ancient literature. Organized literary circle. I was very interested in Jeanne Paul. I wrote a novel under his influence. He has been writing music since the age of seven. As a child, I was impressed by the playing of pianist Moscheles. The first teacher is organist Kunsht. Under his leadership, Schumann achieved great success. He studied the music of Mozart and Weber. Wrote musical sketches (depiction of a person in music). He fell in love with Schubert and wrote several songs.

In 1828, under the influence of his mother, he entered the Faculty of Law at the University of Leipzig. In addition, he studies piano with Friedrich Wieck - 30 years old. Schumann hears Paganini and wants to become a virtuoso. Subsequently, he wrote etudes based on Paganini's caprices and concert etudes. Schumann formed a circle of music lovers (while studying at the university). Writes a cycle of pieces "Butterflies" for piano.

In 1829 he transferred to the University of Heidelberg. In 1830 he quit. While studying at the university, he visited Munich, where he met Heine, and also in Italy. During this period he wrote: Variations “Abegg”, toccata, “Butterflies”, adaptation of Paganini’s caprices. After university he lived with Wik in Leipzig. Damaged, beat the hand. He began studying composition and transcriptions with Dorn.

30s. Dawn piano creativity. Wrote: symphonic studies, carnival, fantasy, fantastic plays. Begins journalistic activity. 1st article about Chopin “I’ll take my hat off to you, genius!” In 1834 he founded the New Musical Newspaper. He opposed conservatism, philistinism, and entertainment. Berlioz, Liszt, Brahms, and composers from Poland and Scandinavia were promoted there. Schumann called for the creation of a German musical theater in the tradition of Fidelio and The Magic Shooter.

The style of all articles was very emotional. In 1839, Schumann found the score of Schubert's C major symphony, and his friend Mendelssohn performed it. In 1840 he married Clara Wieck. He wrote many songs: “Myrtles”, “Love and Life of a Woman”, “Love of a Poet”.

The 40s - early 50s brought symphonies, chamber ensembles, concerts for piano, violin, cello, the oratorio "Paradise and Perry", scenes from Goethe's Faust, music to Manfred Byron. In 1843, Mendelssohn opened the Leipzig Conservatory and invited Schumann there to teach piano, composition and score reading. In 1844, Schumann had to resign his music newspaper and conservatory. Traveled to Russia as the husband of Clara Wieck. Mendelssohn and Italy were fashionable in Russia. Not many understood the significance of Schumann: Anton Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky, members of the " Mighty Handful". The illness developed, and the family left for Dresden. Schumann wants to get a position as director of a musical theater, but it doesn’t work out. Meeting with Wagner. Wagner’s music was alien to Schumann.

1848 - there was a revolution in France and Germany. Wrote 4 republican marches, 3 male choir on revolutionary texts. A few years later he reacts to the revolution differently. At 50 Schumann's family leaves for Düsseldorf. There he directed the orchestra and choral societies.

53 - Schumann meets Brahms. Schumann's last article on Brahms. In 1854 Schumann tries to commit suicide. He wanted to drown himself, but he was saved. He was cured, but he went crazy and after 2 years of unsuccessful treatment in a psychiatric hospital in 1856, Schumann died.

Piano creativity

Music is psychological. It displays different contrasting states and the change of these states. Schumann was very fond of piano miniatures, as well as cycles of piano miniatures, since they can express contrast very well. Schumann turns to programming. These are program pieces, often associated with literary images. They all have names that are a little strange for that time - “Rush”, “From WhatN”, variations on the theme of Abegg (this is the surname of his girlfriend), he used the letters of her surname as notes (A, B, E, G); "Asch" is the name of the city where she lived ex-love Schumann (these letters, like tonalities, were included in “Carnival”). Schumann was very fond of the carnival nature of music, because of its diversity. For example: "Butterflies", "Hungarian Carnival", "Carnival". Variation method of development - "Abegg", "Symphonic Etudes" - a cycle of genre-characteristic variations on one theme, which is transformed from a funeral march (at the beginning) to a solemn march (at the end). They are called etudes, since in each variation there are new virtuoso etudes technique. They are symphonic because the piano sound in them resembles an orchestra (powerful tutti, emphasis on individual lines).

Carnival

In 1834, the New Musical Newspaper was published under the leadership of Schumann. This "Carnival" is like musical embodiment Schumann's aesthetic ideas (the fight against philistinism). The genre is associated with Schumann's essay, in which the newspaper correspondent Jankiri comes to the editor's ball, where new musical releases are shown. At this ball there is a battle between the Davidsbündlers and the philistines. The Davidsbündlers win.

"Carnival" is a cycle of 20 contrasting program piano miniatures, united by 4 notes (Schumann called it "Miniature Scenes on 4 Notes"). These notes are Asch (name of the city) - A, Es, C, H. Sch - these are also the first letters of Schumann's name. These 4 notes exist in 3 combinations. These notes are dissolved at the beginning of each piece. Therefore, there are only traces of variation, but not variations on the theme.