*1819 Leipzig - † 1896 Frankfurt am Main
The best-known female composer of the 19th century gave her first performance at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig in 1828; her final concert took place in Frankfurt am Main in 1891. In her concerts she frequently performed works by Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin and Mendelssohn. After Robert Schumann’s death, Clara continued her successful concert tours in Germany and abroad and took care of their seven children; in 1878, she was appointed piano teacher by Joachim Raff at the newly founded Dr. Hoch’s Conservatory, where she worked until 1892. She was the first female member of staff at the Conservatory, and, during her time there, its most important representative.
Clara Schumann almost exclusively composed music for the piano, including a piano concerto, the Piano Trio in G minor Op. 17 as well as a number of Lieder. 285 original letters by Clara Schumann are preserved in the collection of the Frankfurt University Library.
Further information:
Schumann Portal: http://www.schumann-portal.de/
FemBio Frauen-Biografieforschung e. V.: www.fembio.org/biographie.php/frau/biographie/clara-schumann-geb-wieck