I'm in love with Schumann

[mjames]

No not Robert Schumann

Clara Schuamnn.

It's crime that her music is so obscure compared to her husband's. The Vision Fugitives. ohmahgawd. I can't. I'm going to attempt her prelude & fugues soon...fun stuff...

My question is: why does PianoStreet only have six Opuses? 

[evitaevita]

No not Robert Schumann

Clara Schuamnn.

Really thanks for clarifying it!...
I was sure it was Robert and I'm not a big fan of his music, although I appreciate it.

It's crime that her music is so obscure compared to her husband's. The Vision Fugitives. ohmahgawd. I can't.

I'm really angry that notable composers are nowadays almost completely unknown. In the case of Clara Schumann, she was a bit lucky because she was an exceptional famous pianist as well. But, it's true that, in those past days, women couldn't get the recognition that men had. That's one reason why today we know only male composers. (The other reason is that the overwhelming majority of girls didn't have access to music education so...)

My question is: why does PianoStreet only have six Opuses? 

Sorry. Can't answer to your question... 

[j_menz]

Dover publishes a complete edition of her solo piano music.

Personally, I find her compositions good, but not exactly earth shattering. I believe she was of a similar view, which is why she composed relatively little..

[thalbergmad]

Her works are average at best, but still superior to that of her husband.

Thal

[gvans]

Her works are average at best, but still superior to that of her husband.

Thal, you find R. Schumann "bafflingly popular," and never miss a chance to diss the poor,
dead man's compositions.

I find your marked antipathy to his work equally baffling. Do you have something against the mentally ill (Robert had some issues, as we all know)?

Do you find self-actualization by promoting obscure works (a praiseworthy thing) and denigrating established composers (not so much)?

Just curious. His music is hardly the crap you say it is. I'm learning Kinderscenen for a children's program, and I agree with Horowitz who writes in his liner notes each of the 13 pieces is a masterpiece. I'm also studying the Eb Piano Quartet and find it quite beautiful and inventive.
 
As for Clara, we can only wonder what her composition career might have done without her having to tour constantly and be a breadwinner. Her Piano Trio is, IMHO, well worth playing.

[thalbergmad]

I find your marked antipathy to his work equally baffling.

I have Draeseke, Gernsheim, Rufinatscha, Raff and Sterndale Bennett to play and listen to.

Schumann becomes irrelevant the more one studies his contemporaries.

Thal

[gvans]

I have Draeseke, Gernsheim, Rufinatscha, Raff and Sterndale Bennett to play and listen to.
Thal

OK, I'll check 'em out. It's quite probable Schumann, through his music journal and virtuoso wife, was much better at marketing than the contemporaries you mention. These things happen all the time in the arts, in literature as well as in music.

To call Schumann irrelevant, however, especially in light of his work helping the careers of Chopin (who was not very grateful) and Brahms (who was) seems inaccurate. But I might guess you're an iconoclast re the works of Chopin and Brahms, too...

Were Schumann's works relevant in terms of the evolution of romantic music? His use of romantic fragments, chromaticism, third harmonies, his piano suites (Kreisleriana, etc.) were, I think, arguably novel. All that being said, I'm looking forward to checking out the composers you mention.

Glenn

[orangesodaking]

I think thal actually likes Brahms, lol... Maybe?

Anywho, I'm not the biggest Robert Schumann fan either, but his art songs... I'll argue to the day I die that he was the greatest art song composer ever (sorry, Schubert... silver medal isn't bad, though!)

[thalbergmad]

Were Schumann's works relevant in terms of the evolution of romantic music?

I guess one has to label his music as romantic, but he does not really fit in that bracket as comfortably as Chopin and Liszt. I always feel a certain restraint in some of his music as if he would not allow himself extravagance that he abhorred in others.

No doubt it is the neglect of others that partially assists me in despising the man.

Thal  

[thalbergmad]

I think thal actually likes Brahms, lol... Maybe?

A large percentage of his piano solo works bore me. For some strange reason, I appreciate his organ works better.

The 2 PC's are splendid works but I would need a damned good reason to listen to either of them for the nth time, especially the 2nd which is bordering on the edge of my attention span. If I have 40 minutes plus with nothing to do, I would rather listen to the Urspruch PC again to be honest.

Thal

[gvans]

I always feel a certain restraint in some of his music as if he would not allow himself extravagance that he abhorred in others.

No doubt it is the neglect of others that partially assists me in despising the man.

Thal  

A bit of restraint is not always a bad thing...I will tell you it is damned exciting playing the bookend movements of the P4 in Eb with my string playing friends. The scherzo is amazing, and the andante is one of the loveliest pieces I've played. Maybe it's a listening versus playing thing.

"Despise" is a strong emotion to hold for a guy who led a fairly miserable life, tried to kill himself by jumping into the Rhine in the month of February, and died a miserable death in an insane asylum. Perhaps you should turn your anger on those of us who so foolishly neglect the other composers you mention. As I said earlier, though, that's the nature of art. It's subjective, and fame is capricious.

[gvans]

A large percentage of his piano solo works bore me.

Brahms, according to some historians, wrote the bulk of his solo piano works for Clara Schumann--getting us back to the beginning of the thread. His complex relationship with her was the stuff of books and novels. For me, his music is filled with bittersweet longing and unrequited and impossible love, not to mention 3 against 4 rhythms, colorful major-minor changes, frequent hemiolae, and musical drama of the highest order. Boring? Not for me.

His compositional output was admittedly truncated by his almost pathologic need to destroy any work he felt was imperfect. One of the great tragedies of music was the loss of his first ten (10!) string quartets, destroyed by the composer himself. Or maybe nine. We'll never know.

[landru]

For me, his music is filled with bittersweet longing and unrequited and impossible love, not to mention 3 against 4 rhythms, colorful major-minor changes, frequent hemiolae, and musical drama of the highest order. Boring? Not for me.

And from the evidence of the scores I've seen, he apparently had 12 or so fingers.

[michaeljames]

I guess one has to label his music as romantic, but he does not really fit in that bracket as comfortably as Chopin and Liszt. I always feel a certain restraint in some of his music as if he would not allow himself extravagance that he abhorred in others.

No doubt it is the neglect of others that partially assists me in despising the man.

Thal  

I'm with you, Thal.  While "despise" is a strong word, he's my least favorite of the "greats." He's got a couple of gems, but in general....yuck.

[piano1mn]

I've never really played any Clara Schumann yet, but I have listened to a lot of her music!
I don't really care for Robert Schumann's music though It is boring to play, usually for his famous ones(like the only ones I have, Scenes of Childhood and Album for the Young. I have his Piano Concerto too, though... ).
  Ive just bought Furry Liece, and she just brang me to Bay-Tovinne. Her brother, Moe, is also a Dogg, and Moe's-art is very pretty. One time he painted the words "Gots-Chalk?" The Shoe-Man gave me the Soler panel. I ate some "Grenade-O's" and Alkan be happy. I ran to the Field, where I cooked with a Show-Pan. We played Haydn seek. I wrote a shopping Liszt. I put down strawberry Schubert.

Thanks to:
Fur elise;
Beethoven;
Mozart;
Gottschalk;
Schumann;
Soler;
Granados;
Alkan;
Field;
Chopin;
Haydn;
Liszt;
Schubert