Robert Schumann

The German Romantic composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856) learned music from an early age, but his weak fingers ruined his hopes for a career as a concert pianist. He nevertheless wrote prolifically for piano before venturing into the symphonic music for which he is equally remembered and loved. He married Clara Schumann (née Wieck), now one of history’s few well-known female composers, in 1840. His orchestral works include four symphonies, and concertos for piano, cello and violin, the last of which was not performed until 1937. His love of literature – as well as his wife – inspired many of his compositions, and they bear the influence of fellow countrymen such as Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Schubert.

In 1854, the increasingly hallucinatory Schumann had a mental breakdown, and he voluntarily moved to an asylum after an unsuccessful suicide attempt. He died two years later of an unknown illness. Clara survived him, dying in 1896 at the age of 76.