Robert Schumann : life and death of a musician / John Worthen.
| Author/creator |
Worthen, John |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | New Haven, CT ; London : Yale University Press, ©2007. |
| Description | xi, 496 pages, 14 pages of plates : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | Part I: Early years. Birth and upbringing: Zwickau 1810-1828 -- Leipzig and Wieck: 1828-1829 -- Decision for music: 1829-1830 -- A numbed finger: 1830-1832 -- On syphilis: 1831-1832 -- Other fears and tremblings: 1832-1833 -- Ernestine von Fricken: 1834-1835 -- Part II: Clara Wieck. 'No longer a child': 1835 -- Apart: 1836-1837 -- Engaged: 1837-1838 -- Enduring: 1838-1839 -- Fighting: 1839-1840 -- Success: 1840 -- Part III: Marriage and career. Thin walls in Inselstrasse: 1840-1841 -- The composer at home: 1842-1843 -- To Russia: 1844 -- Illnesses: Dresden 1844-1845 -- Offspring: 1846-1847 -- Choral, operatic and financial: 1847-1849 -- A new career? 1849-1850 -- Dusseldorf: 1850-1852 -- While the daylight lasts: 1852-1853 -- Catastrophe: 1853-1854 -- Part IV: Ending. Diagnosis: 1854-2007 -- Endenich: 1854-1856 -- Epilogue -- Appendix: Autopsy report on the body of Robert Schumann. |
| Abstract | This biography offers a fresh account of Schumann's life. It confronts the traditional perception of the doom-laden Romantic, forced by depression into a life of helpless, poignant sadness. The author's attention to the original sources reveals Schumann to have been an astute, witty, articulate and immensely determined individual who, with little support from his background in provincial Saxony, painstakingly taught himself his craft as a musician, overcame problem after problem in his professional life and married the woman he loved after a tremendous battle with his father-in-law. Schumann was neither manic depressive nor schizophrenic, though he struggled with financial problems and illness. He worked prodigiously hard to develop his range of musical styles and to earn his living, only to be struck down, at the age of forty-four, by a vile and incurable disease. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 405-473) and index. |
| LCCN | 2006032508 |
| ISBN | 0300111606 (alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 9780300111606 (alk. paper) |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.S4 W67 2007 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |