Essential Repertoire,
Piano Sheet Music Essentials: Clara Schumann
In our Piano Sheet Music Essentials series, we aim to offer recommendations of popular and well-known piano pieces by a selection of celebrated composers. This article focuses on the work of Clara Schumann, one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era.
Clara Schumann
Clara Josephine Schumann is one of the most important pianists and composers of the 19th Century. She was born in Leipzig in 1819 to pianist and teacher Frederick Wieck, and successful singer and pianist Mariane Wieck (née Tromlitz and later Bargiel). Although best known as a performer and teacher in her lifetime, she was also a talented composer. Unfortunately there are far fewer sheet music collections and compositions in print of Clara Schumann's works in comparison to other popular composers, and at this time there aren't any easy arrangements of her pieces. There are however many fantastic pieces which provide excellent repertoire for the more advanced pianist.
Clara Schumann Piano Works
Among the leading pianists of the 19th century, Clara Schumann was a respected published composer in her lifetime, regarded by her contemporaries as a member of the avant-garde "new romantic" school. This rare collection, reproduced mainly from the classic Breitkopf and Hartel edition of 1879, is introduced by Dr. Nancy B. Reich.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Clara Wieck-Schumann (1819–1896), was a fascinating artistic figure – both as a pianist and as a composer. While her legendary virtuosity has faded away, her works still live on. Clara began composing when she was a child: her opus 1 was published when she was a mere 11 years old. This volume contains a selection of some of her most valuable compositions for piano.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Selected piano works by Clara Schumann, who is not only recognized as one of the great virtuosos of the 19th century but also as one of the most important composers of her time.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Clara Schumann wrote her Piano Sonata in G minor in 1841/42. The work was not performed during the composer's lifetime, however, and remained neglected until it was first published in 1991. Clara Schumann borrowed the Scherzo a few years after writing the piece when she integrated it into Quatre Pièces fugitives Op. 15. Nevertheless, as a whole, the sonata marks an important step in her compositional development between her two other larger-scale works, the Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 7 and the Piano Trio in G minor Op. 17.
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These Romances are a little group of pieces that had been previously only been available in the collection Brahms and his Friends.
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Quatre Pieces Fugitives, Op. 15, (Four Fugitive Pieces), contains four short compositions for solo piano each expressing contrasting moods and characters.
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Critically revised new edition by Thomas Synofzik. A set of character pieces which display the influence of Brahms, Chopin and Mendelssohn on Clara Schumann's compositional style. Each movement works as well as an individual piece as they do in a set.
Available Format: Sheet Music
Ellena Taylor - Sheet Music and Books Manager
