Description: Robert Schumann was one of the most enigmatic figures of his age. Extraordinarily gifted in both music and literature, his fame was based both on his skill as a music critic and as a composer. His life was controversial-from the tempestuous courtship of his future wife, Clara Wieck, to his tragic incarceration in the mental asylum where he died. This new edition of Schumann is based on recently-published sources that provide new dating for many of his compositions, and shed new light on his final years.
Review Quotes: "The reader is left not only educated musically, but saddened, mesmerized, horrified, and disgusted by the treatment Schumann received.... It's a tale of latent feminism, music history, and mental illness all wrapped into one. There's plenty of technical description for the musician reader, complete with musical examples that can be played or sung. There's plenty more for someone who can't read music but likes a rich life story of a complex human being who happened to be a musician."--Boston Globe
"The presentation is excellent, aimed at the intelligent music-lover, but equally it is important in many ways to the established specialist in 19th century Romanticism. Anyone looking for their first book on Schumann could not do better than obtain this title, which will stand them in good stead for the rest of their lives." --Musical Opinion"A valuable addition to Schumann research at the turn of the millennium. Best of all, it is a readable, thoughtful account, especially concerning the composer's relationships with his wife, Clara; his contemporaries; and the surrounding musical community...Recommended." --Choice