Jeremy ’s Reviews > Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman > Status Update

Op 17 trio for piano, violin and cello
Composed in Dresden. She had played much chamber music and with Robert had begun to study the chamber music of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven but had never ventured to compose in this genre herself. This is her remedy of that.
During their Dresden time, she organized a chamber music series-first of its kind there.

Written and loved by herself. Published in 1879. Performed frequently.

Piano concerto in Am Op 7. Began when Clara was 13 yrs old!
Second mvmt is a nocturne with cello accompaniment. Should learn it.

There is nothing that surpasses the joy of creative activity, even if only for those hours of self forgetfulness in which one breathes solely in the realm of tones. Clara Schumann

Wow. Clara met Chopin and Chopin liked and praised her playing. She championed some of his work in the the early years and often played them on her concerts. In later years there was always at least one of his works on her programs. Concerto in Fm was the last concerto the 71 yr old played in public on 11/7/1890.

Chapter 9 is so sweet. The Brahms and Clara chapter.

Brahms’ Vier ernste Gesange, tho written before Clara died, he wrote to her daughter asking her to consider them quite literally a funeral offering to Clara.
Clara died on May 20th, 1896.
Brahms died 11 months later.

In a letter of response to Brahms who was asking her to take it a bit easier as she has enough money she doesn’t have to work so hard which is affecting her health etc…
Her response: author points out this could be her motto: “my health may well be preserved if I exert myself less, but in the end doesn’t each person give his life for their calling”?

Her praises about certain pieces. Review these

Clara plays a few Mozart piano concertos (just at home) and just gushes in a letter to Brahms over them. Mozart amazes the amazers.