Robert Schumann Essentials

The epitome of German Romanticism, Robert Schumann was a failed pianist and highly sensitive composer who studied law and wrote poetry and music criticism. Lyric ingenuity infused his narrative song cycles (in translation, a famous one, Dichterliebe, is called “A Poet's Love”), and he was equally adept at innovating collections of short, delicate piano pieces (e.g., “Phantasiestücke” or “Fantastic Pieces,” and Kinderszenen or “Scenes From Childhood”). A devoted father of seven, Schumann was an idealist, and although he wrote concertos, symphonies, sonatas, and chamber music (including a famous Piano Quintet), he was better suited to short, simpler forms.