|
Born Zwickau, 8 June 1810; died Endenich, 29 July 1856
"A master of the more intimate forms of musical compostitions,
Schumann is unique in music history as being one of the great composers
who concentrated on one musical genre at a time, with the bulk of his
earliest compositions being for the piano. Schumann's piano music (and
later his songs) remain supreme examples of the Romantic style of the
second quarter of the nineteenth-century. Immensely influenced by
literature and poetry, it is the dreamy nature of his music which most
affects the listener, as can be heard in the fifth movement from the piano
suite entitled
Carnaval. Aside from three piano sonatas, most of his work for the
instrument is in the form of suites comprising short, poetic
pieces, each expressing a different mood." 1
Resources text and audio files
(links will open in a new window):
1 From Music History 102: a Guide to Western Composers and their music
Designed, compiled and created by Robert Sherrane, Cataloging librarian
The Juilliard School, New York. See the
Internet Public
Library entry.
back
|
close window
|
