Schumann returned to Leipsic on account of the musical life. With his return began the romance of his life, one of the most beautiful love stories in musical history. He studied with Frederick Wieck, whose little daughter Clara was a prodigy pianist. He became a member of the household and was charmed by the talent of the child. Meanwhile he was studying as pianist, and being ingenious, he invented an instrument to develop his weak fourth finger, but it ruined his hand and unfitted him for his career.
Now he gave more attention to composition and to musical criticism. This gave him the chance to help some of the brilliant musicians of the day. He brought Chopin to the notice of Germany, and proclaimed the genius of young Johannes Brahms. He also formed a deep friendship for Mendelssohn.
Valuable as are all writings which reveal his thoughts, his richest gift to the world was his music, in which he preached the gospel of beauty.
As Schumann grew into manhood he began to know the depths of sorrow, some of his finest works having been an outburst of his tortured soul. Clara Wieck was now a young woman and a great pianist. It was natural that an affection should spring up between them. But Clara’s father had greater hopes. He could not see a struggling young musician and critic as the husband of his talented child. During this long and painful courtship when Schumann dared not speak his love to Clara he wrote compositions with which to tell his story, and she understood. One of these expressions was the lovely Warum asking the question, “Why?” so longingly.
In those days a case could be brought into court and the reason demanded why a parent should refuse to allow a marriage. Schumann went to law, and the court decided that Wieck’s objections were without cause. But the year of strain told upon his health and nerves and he began his married life under a cloud of illness. The young pair were ideally happy, he wrote glorious music, and she took pride in playing his piano works on all her programs.
With all her accomplishments—and she was a great artist—she was first a devoted wife who cared for her husband as though he had been her child. Schumann’s very finest work was done during these years. His inspiration drove him chiefly to songs, full of lyric beauty like Schubert’s; indeed, when speaking of lieder the names of Schubert and Schumann are always linked.
Mendelssohn urged Schumann to teach in the Leipsic Conservatory, but he left there soon to make a tour of Russia with his wife. That year they settled in Dresden, a quieter city, because his nerves were beginning to forecast the shadow of his future.
Mendelssohn loved Schumann and admired him as composer, writer and critic. He conducted the first performance of Schumann’s B flat symphony at a Gewandhaus concert of Clara Schumann, and the happiness of the three was tremendous. Schumann did not think of himself alone, but was always trying to help his colleagues. Schubert wrote his C major symphony in March of the year he died and never heard it, but Schumann had the score sent to Mendelssohn in Leipsic for its first performance after a wait of eleven years.
Notwithstanding his nerves, Schumann was now in his full power and the amount he wrote is incredible. Most of his chamber music was written in 1842, three of the string quartets being dedicated to Mendelssohn. The work that gave him fame all over Europe was the quintet for piano and strings, opus 44; with Clara at the piano, Berlioz heard its first performance and spread the news of his genius through Paris. About this time the Variations for Two Pianos were written and played by Robert and Clara Schumann.
Another interesting and popular number is Carnaval, a collection of named sketches in three-four time each one portraying some person or thing. Eusebius and Florestan have caused much curiosity—the secret is that Schumann was a student of himself and these were meant to show his conflicting moods. Chopin is represented, also Mendelssohn, while Chiarina is Clara.