Clara and Robert Schumann, the lovers

At the age of nine, Clara Wieck played the piano extremely well. Therefore, it is not surprising that at 13 she was invited to Zwickau to give a concert. There, she played at the piano the sketches of a symphony whose author was the brilliant pupil of his father and companion of homely nights, Robert Schumann. The young composer had begun to notice that the feelings the young pianist inspired him seemed to go beyond the natural affection for the daughter of his teacher.

Clara didn't know it yet, and much less, that years later her repertoire will not be able to do without Romanza N ° 2, her favorite of the cycle of Three Romances, opus 28, composed by Schumann in 1839.

Romanza N ° 2 - Piano: J. Utuk (2:48)


One of the first news about the relationship Clara and Robert had established can be found in Schumann's "courtship-book", which reads:

"Painful farewells: in November 1835, after the first kiss on the stairs of Wieck's house, when Clara left to Zwickau."

Robert was 25 years old. Clara, 16, had taken a trip to give another concert, this time without music by Schumann, even though he had just composed this year his most famous piece for piano: Carnival, op 90.

Clara's father did oppose an obstinate resistance to courtship because he did not want the marriage to interrupt his daughter's promising piano career, especially if the suitor, still his best pupil, was only emerging as a budding composer.

Friedrich Wieck went so far as sending his daughter to Dresden, prohibiting her, under threat, any contact with Robert. But the lovers will find a way to communicate by letter with the help of a discreet go-between. When Wieck got to learn about it, he demanded Schumann to abandon any illusion, once and for all.

Those were difficult moments. Robert fell into a deep emotional crisis from which he will only recover with the help of music. Great compositions of his catalogue came to light in 1837. Fantasiestücke is one of them, a small cycle of 8 short pieces, beginning with the beautiful melody "Des Abends" (Sunset), performed here live (audio) by the maestro Arthur Rubinstein:

In the summer of that year, Robert set out to clarify his relationship status by asking Clara for her disposal to hand Wieck a letter from him:

"Are you loyal and true as ever? ...because[ the stoutest heart would be disconcerted when left without a word from the dearest thing in the world, which is what you are to me... Let me have just one word, 'yes', from you if you are willing to hand your father a letter from me in your birthday... He is kindly disposed to me just now, and will not repulse me if you plead for me too..."

Clara's response will not delay...
(...to be continued...)

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