Interesting Facts that aren't well-known about Schumann
- Schumann began taking piano lessons when he was 8 years old (which is quite late by "virtuoso" standards?) Submitted by Danielle Robitaille
- Schumann was linguistically strong and up to the age of 18, he studied French, Italian, English, Spanish and Latin in addition to his native tongue of German?
- Schumann's limp 3rd finger on his right hand may have been the result of mercurial poisoning, used as a treatment for his syphilis in the early 1830s? Although the debate still rages on whether Schumann damaged his finger while using the infamous "chiroplast" (which he called a "cigar mechanism"), it is possible that as treatment for his perceived syphilis in 1831, Schumann was treated with mercury (or "Arsenik") which damaged his finger.
- Schumann thought that Franz Liszt was an amazing virtuoso but called his taste, especially his compositions, "awful." Clara wasn't fond of Liszt at all (there appeared to be some professional jealousy there.) Submitted by Vanessa Raabe as found in Phil G. Goulding's book, "Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and their 1,000 Greatest Works".
- Schumann was a huge supporter of Chopin, but Chopin said that Robert's Carnaval "was not music at all." Submitted by Vanessa Raabe as found in Phil G. Goulding's book, "Classical Music: The 50 Greatest Composers and their 1,000 Greatest Works."
- Schumann found many of Schubert's works and was instrumental in having them published? Submitted by David McEvoy
- As a composer, Schumann had a sense of humour. In his Piano Sonata in G Minor (Op. 22), Schumann indicated that the speed should be "As Fast as Possible." Later in the piece, he asked the performer to play, "Faster," and again further in the piece, he wrote, "Still Faster." Submitted by Peter Ochs
- Schumann married his teacher's daughter, Clara Wieck, after a long legal battle with Friedrich Wieck, on September 12, 1840? The legal battle allowed them to marry before her 21st birthday without Friedrich's consent. To spite Wieck, Robert and Clara did marry before her 21st birthday - in fact, the day before her 21st birthday, which was September 13, 1840.
- Fond of keeping diaries, Schumann gave Clara a birthday/wedding gift on September 13, 1840, which he called the Ehetagebuch, or the "Wedding Day Book"? It was kept as a joint diary for 3 years.
- In February 1840, Schumann was awarded an honourary doctorate from the University of Jena, making him "Dr. Robert Schumann"?
- During 1840, Schumann wrote in excess of 100 Lieder (songs), so many scholars have called 1840 "The Year of the Song"? One of these, a love song for Clara, was written from the female perspective, Frauenliebe und Leben, IV, Op. 42. The words are as follows:
Du Ring an meinem Finger
Mein goldenes Ringelein
Ich druecke dich fromm an die Lippen
An das Herze mein.
(Ring on my finger
My little golden ring
Devoutly I press you to my lips
And then to my heart.)
- There is evidence to support that Schumann once considered writing an opera about America? The libretto was by Fallersleben and it concerned German immigrants settling in Texas. Nothing ever came of the project but it is mentioned in the work of musicologist Thomas Albrecht. Submitted by John Tibbetts, Associate Professor, Theatre and Film, University of Kansas
- Schumann threw his wedding ring in the Rhein when he tried to commit suicide in 1854, and wrote a letter to Clara begging her to do the same with her ring so that they might forever be united?
- In Schumann's later illness, his gift for poetry was often stronger than his musical gift? During a deep bout of depression and dizziness that completely impaired Schumann's vision on April 15, 1844, he managed to write a poem about a bell:
"How the work lives from within
How it strives toward perfection!
The master creates by day and night,
Embracing the rigid mass
with the loving warmth of artistic truth."
- On November 20, 1844, Schumann sold the Neue Zeitschrift to Franz Brendel for 500 thalers? Not two years later, he longed to continue his criticism and considered founding a new journal, the Monatsschrift fuer Musik.
- In 1846, Eduard Hanslick met with Richard Wagner and Robert Schumann over two days and asked them what they thought of each other. Wagner said, "On the outside, we get along very well, but with Schumann you can't have relationships of any kind; he's an impossible man, he never talks." Schumann said, "For me Wagner is an impossible person; undoubtedly he's a genial man, but he just keeps talking without interruption. You can't always talk!" Submitted by Marco Mazzocchi as found in Martin Gregor-Dellin's book, "Richard Wagner, sein Leben, sein Werk, sein Jahrhundert." (1980)
- In 1850, Robert and Clara and their family moved to Duesseldorf? Schumann was hired to act as musical director and conductor of the orchestra and two principal Catholic churches there, St. Lambertus and Maximilliankirche. He was such a poor conductor that during one performance, he continued conducting after the music had stopped. He was fired in 1853.
- Once, after a spectacular performance by Clara, some gentlemen approached Robert and knowing only that he was Clara's husband, asked Robert, "Please tell us, sir, are you musical?" Submitted by Collins/Lipsett
- Schumann didn't let his inability to conduct get him down? One account recalls that after Schumann had dropped his baton repeatedly while conducting, he returned the next day with a piece of string securing the baton to his wrist, and joked with everyone saying, "See? Now I can't drop it!"
- In 1853, Robert, Clara and their children participated in table rapping and table moving session where they "convinced" their tables to move and rap out rhythms to songs? This was a popular pastime in Germany, and even Robert's doctor participated. About one of these sessions, Robert wrote in his diary, "I said, 'Dear table, play the opening theme to my C minor Symphony,' and it tapped it out, but much too slowly. When I said, 'But the tempo is quicker, dear table!', it rapped in the correct tempo!'"
- Schumann was a tea lover? He often drank 8-10 cups a day and encouraged his family to do the same. Submitted by Jason Y from William Goergeman's "The Mind of Schumann"
- Schumann was the first composer in history to be photographed? You can see these three existing photos below. Submitted by Philip Hyman
- Johannes Brahms moved into Robert and Clara's house because he was a struggling artist and they pitied him? Submitted by Angela Martincich
- In February 1854, Schumann claimed to hear the ghosts of Mendelssohn and Schubert dictating melodies to him? Submitted by David McEvoy
- While in the asylum at Endenich, Robert spent many days frantically scribbling fragments of melodies on paper? Between composing, he spent hours and sometimes days alphabetizing cities from an atlas. Submitted by Aaron G. Lamb
- Schumann wrote so many fragments of music so quickly that he ran out of paper and had to tear down the curtains to continue his writing? Submitted by Olivia Nicholson
- Clara only visited Robert in the asylum once over the two year period he was hospitalized? She visited him on July 28, 1856, the day before he died. Brahms and the director of the asylum, Dr. Richarz, convinced her not to go as it would "impede Schumann's progress."
- Although the cause of Schumann's death is much debated, it is most likely that Schumann suffered from bipolar affective disorder (formerly known as "manic-depression" and he died from a Major Depressive Episode, following months of self-starvation ("anorexia melancholia") in 1856?
- Even Robert's grandson doubted the true nature of Brahms' and Clara's relationship? He published a nasty pamphlet called "Felix Schumann: Son of Brahms", which was filled with paraphernalia and horrible insults. The Nazis burned this pamphlet prior to WWII, saying that it contained information that could "damage the German Spirit."
