The Clara Schumann Channel
Dedicated to one of the most influential composers and pianists of the Romantic Era.
Category: Clara Schumann
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One of the most searched questions about Clara is… What are Clara Schumann’s best works? Because Clara was an epically self-critical composer, (famously so) she didn’t publish anything unless she knew it was good—damn good. Her standards were impossibly high, so it’s no exaggeration to say there’s greatness in all of Clara Schumann’s works. But…
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“When I was 14, I studied composition… I recognized the kind of enthusiasm I had when I was that age. It made me feel so close to this person while studying the concerto.” ~Beatrice Rana For the NY Times article, Clara Schumann and Florence Price Get Their Due, I interviewed pianist, Beatrice Rana, who debuted…
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“The only way we can get institutions to do it is if the leaders take it really personally.” ~Yannick Nézet-Séguin For the NY Times article, “Clara Schumann and Florence Price Get Their Due At Carnegie Hall,” I spoke with Yannick Nézet-Séguin about WHY he’s doing programs like Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3 and Clara Wieck’s…
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It’s the 2 year anniversary of the Clara Schumann stan Twitter account @sarahfritzwritr! When I started this mad endeavor in October 2020, I never imagined I’d meet so many Clara fans. Or that on her birthday, Sept. 13th 2022, she would be a trending Twitter topic! Thanks for going on this wild ride with me.…
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Why is Clara Schumann important? Clara Schumann helped define classical music as we know it. For those who squirm – how could that possibly be true? A woman with power? In the 19th century? It’s true. Clara Schumann curated an era. She shaped the tastes of the public that live on today. The traditions which…
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Clara Schumann did everything in her power to place Chopin permanently in the piano repertoire. The extent of her influence on his legacy is difficult to calculate. She included his music on most of her thousands of concerts for 55 years. She played his waltzes, nocturnes, etudes, mazurkas, and more from Vienna to London, from…
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To call Clara Schumann “the muse of Brahms” is a reductive stereotype. It’s like saying Wolfgang played piano, or Ludwig wrote nice tunes, or Pauline Viardot sang pretty. Those things are technically true, but as descriptors, they laughably miss the point. They are limiting and dismissive of the truth. If you’ve read Clara and Johannes…
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Clara Schumann is famous for “hating Liszt,” but that’s not exactly accurate. Her feelings about Franz Liszt were much more complex and changed over the course of her life. Their relationship, in its conflicts and commonalities, was much more nuanced than simply like / hate. Clara admired Franz a great deal, referring to him as…
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Clara Wieck was younger than all the white dudes – yes, even younger than Mozart – when she composed, published, and premiered her Piano Concerto in A minor on original themes. She was 16 years old. Felix Mendelssohn conducted the premiere with the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra, November 9th, 1835. It was Clara’s only full orchestral…
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“There is nothing greater than the joy of composing.” ~ Clara Schumann I wrote an article for Donne about the out of context quote from Clara’s diary: “Women should not desire to compose.” It’s true origins and how it was a repetition of what society taught Clara–not her true believe. You can read about it…
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