![]() ![]() The manuscript for Variation 6 is part of the Frederick R. The young Johannes Brahms, who had recently become close to both Schumanns, composed his own set of variations on the same theme, which he dedicated to Clara and published as his own Op. By that time, he was in the hospital in Endenich, Germany, where he would remain until his death two years later. In 1853, Clara Schumann composed a set of variations on a theme from her husband Robert’s Albumblätter no. Variations on a theme by Robert Schumann, op. The Wiecks, in contrast, had no such social pretensions, and Clara was unabashedly a professional musician from an early age.īeinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library ![]() ![]() The Mendelssohns were a wealthy family seeking to cement their status in the upper class (in spite of lingering prejudice against their Jewish heritage), so they felt obligated to abide by an unwritten rule forbidding women of their class from pursuing music as anything more than an avocation. As Nancy Reich (Clara Schumann’s biographer) has pointed out, the distinction was one of social class. Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Clara Wieck Schumann were both brilliant musicians, but their lives were very different. Felix did not hesitate to give credit to his sister when the opportunity arose-for example, he told Queen Victoria, after she had sung one of Fanny’s songs thinking it was his!-but the Mendelssohn family believed that it would be inappropriate for a woman to publish music under her own name. But there was a crucial difference: all twelve of those songs were attributed to Felix, and Fanny’s name appeared nowhere. “Warum willst du and’re fragen,” the song displayed here, is by Clara.įelix Mendelssohn and his sister, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, sometimes published joint collections similar to this the Zwölf Gesänge that were displayed in our Mendelssohn bicentenary exhibit in 2009 are one example. It was Clara’s Opus 12 and Robert’s Opus 37. In 1841 Clara and Robert Schumann jointly published the Zwölf Gedichte, which includes songs by both composers the texts for all twelve are by the same poet, Friedrich Rückert. Secret Whispers: Double Image Pays Homage to Clara Schumann (Meridian, 1996) (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, ) Kym Amps, soprano David Carhart, piano They are simply finger exercises, not serious creative works, but they provide a unique glimpse of her technique and her pedagogical methods.įrom the library of Lowell Mason “Warum willst du and’re fragen,” from Zwölf Gedichte, Op. ![]() In 2009 the Gilmore Music Library acquired this undated manuscript of a set of etudes by Clara Schumann. It was not until the rise of the modern feminist movement in the late 20th century that scholars and musi¬cians began to revive her compositions, and she is now recognized as one of the most talented pianist-composers of her era. Her achievements as a performer, in contrast, were never forgotten. Unfortunately, she stopped composing after her husband’s death in 1856, and her music gradually sank into obscurity. Despite the widespread assumption that women could not become serious composers, most of her works were published, and they generally received favorable reviews. Many of her compositions are virtuosic piano pieces designed to display her remarkable abilities as a performer, but she also wrote songs, chamber music, and other works. Purchased with income from the Horowitz Fund, ManuscriptĬlara Schumann was primarily a pianist, but she also composed. ![]()
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