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Researchers will be encouraged by the tremendous amount of published literature about Clara Schumann, her career, and her personal and professional relationships. This page discusses significant biographies, published correspondence and diaries, memoirs by her youngest daughter, and databases that will lead researchers to books, journal articles, dissertations, and more relevant published literature.
Many biographical books, articles, and dissertations have been published about Clara Schumann as a pianist, composer, editor, and significant figure in 19th-century German music. Berthold Litzmann published the first biography of Schumann from 1902-1908 with his Clara Schumann: Ein Kunstlerleben. In 1985, Nancy Reich's seminal work, Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman, delved into biographical details overlooked and/or omitted by Litzmann in his work. Reich relies on original German publications and the archives of the Robert-Schumann-Haus, Zwickau, among other sources and archives, to reveal a fuller understanding of Schumann's life and work as well as the complexities of her family and personal relationships. Clara Schumann research and performance of her works have blossomed since Reich published her 1985 biography, and a second edition of Reich's biography was published in 2001.
TIP: To locate published biographical material on Clara Schumann in the Library of Congress Online Catalog, be sure to "Add Limits" to the search in the Advanced Search mode. For this particular search, perform a Subject Search in the catalog by selecting "Subject" from the drop-down menu and enter "Schumann, Clara, 1819-1896" in the text box. Below that, click on "Add Limits." Under "Type of Material," select "Book" from the drop-down menu. This action will limit your results to books about Clara Schumann.
The following titles, listed as examples, link to fuller bibliographic information for published scores in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.
There is a substantial amount of published correspondence available that will inform the Clara Schumann researcher. Search the Library of Congress Online Catalog for published correspondence; while much of the material is in its original German or French, there are also several English translations published and available.
TIP: To locate published Clara Schumann correspondence in the Library of Congress Online Catalog, be sure to "Add Limits" to the search. For this particular search, perform a Subject Search in the catalog by selecting "Subject" from the drop-down menu and enter "Schumann, Clara, 1819-1896--Correspondence" in the text box. Below that, click on "Add Limits." Under "Type of Material," select "Book" from the drop-down menu. This action will limit your results to books about Clara Schumann and her correspondence.
The following titles, listed as examples, link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.
Clara Schumann kept two well-known diaries in her life: her girlhood diaries (Jugendtagebücher) and her marriage diary (Ehetagebuch). Clara's girlhood diaries were famously managed, supervised, and even written at times, by her father Friedrich Wieck. Wieck used the diary as a vehicle for communicating his expectations, frustrations, praise, and more with his daughter. When Clara left home at 19 years old for her first independent tour, she finally assumed full control of her diary. The girlhood diaries end on September 13, 1840 - her 21st birthday and the day after her marriage to Robert Schumann. Her father retained the diaries until 1859, when he returned them to Clara.
The discipline Clara acquired through consistent maintenance of her girlhood diaries served the Schumanns well when they decided to begin a marriage diary, where Clara and Robert intended to alternate writing weekly entries. A few months into the diary, Robert's dedication to composing resulted in Clara taking over more of the writing. Robert did continue to keep detailed household reports on finances, schedules, compositions, and their music circle. The marriage diary provides a window into Clara and Robert's relationship, insecurities, and hopes, and additionally records important information about the composition, performance, and editorial aspects of their careers.
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.
Eugenie Schumann (1851-1938), the youngest daughter of Clara and Robert, published a memoir of her family in 1925. Eugenie was born three years before Robert's attempted suicide and admittance to a mental asylum, and five years before his death. While Clara was traveling and concertizing, Eugenie spent her formative years with various caretakers including a housekeeper, her sisters Marie and Elise, and a boarding school. Eugenie demonstrated musical gifts and was accepted to a music school in Berlin directed by Joseph Joachim; it was in Berlin that Eugenie met Marie Fillunger, an Austrian singer who became Eugenie's lover. Eugenie studied at the school with Clara's former student Ernst Rudorff and later with her mother and Brahms as well; her memoir provides wonderful descriptions of their pedagogy. In 1871, Eugenie moved in with her mother and older sister Marie to provide assistance and companionship. She lived there for 20 years, teaching piano and hosting Fillunger in the home until ending their relationship and parting ways (Eugenie and Fillunger continued to exchange letters that you can read in the book Mit 1000 Küssen deine Fillu : Briefe der Sängerin Marie Fillunger an Eugenie Schumann 1875-93). At 40 years old, Eugenie left the Schumann home to pursue her own teaching career in England until moving to Interlaken in 1918 to care for her aging sister Marie. After Marie died, Eugenie took on the responsibility of promoting her parents' work and preserving their reputations. Her memoir offers a personal reflection of Clara and Robert from the unique perspective of a daughter.
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.
While published biographies offer a degree of analysis and criticism of Schumann's compositions and performance career, researchers will benefit from searching for in-depth analyses in books, essays, articles, and dissertations. Search for material on the analysis and interpretation of Clara Schumann's music and career in the Library of Congress Online Catalog (perform a Subject search with the phrase "Schumann, Clara, 1819-1896--Criticism and interpretation." in the text box).
In addition to the online catalog, the following databases are particularly helpful in searching for relevant books, book reviews, articles, and dissertations. The subscription resources marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.