Robert Schumann

Born June 8, 1810, Robert Schumann is considered one of the premier composer of the Romantic era. He began his career studying law, but determined to become a virtuoso pianist. An injury designed to strengthen the fingers for piano playing permanently injured, or a surgery cutting the tendons of the fourth finger from the third or even an after syphilis medication.
Due to this injury Schumann wrote and published compositions exclusively for the piano. He later composed work for orchestra plus piano and songs for voice and piano. He wrote Album fur die Juhgend, Blumenstuck, Sonatas and Albumblatter.
Carnaval, Op. 9 (1834) is one of Schumann's most delightful piano works. He begins every section with a musical cryptogram or the musical notes spelling words. He met Felix Mendelssohn in 1835 and was given high marks for his works. Schumann set music to the lyrics of Heine, Goethe, Kerner and Eichendorff. Schumann's Spring Symphony (1941) and Piano Concerto in A Minor (1946) plus the Third, Symphony (1950) are among his orchestral works. These show his classical form with personal emotions.
Schumann married Clara Wieck in 1849 after a long and bitter battle with her father. Together Clara and Schumann had eight children. Clara was a famous concert pianist in her own right and was noted for her brilliance and sensitivity plus interpretations of Schumann's and Braham's works.
Schumann suffered from mental disorders that included melancholic depressive episodes. He had increasingly frequent episodes of being poisoned or threated. A suicide attempt in 1854 or had a nervous breakdown caused Schumann to enter a sanitarium at his own hand. He died here two years later on July 8, 1956.