Episode 8 - Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms
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Program
Clara Schumann
Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22
Johannes Brahms
Horn Trio, Op. 40
Clara Wieck Schumann
Born in Leipzig, Germany in 1819, Clara Wieck Schumann is regarded as one of the foremost European pianists of the 19th century. Schumann was born into a musical family; both her parents played the piano and her father was one of the most sought after piano teachers in Leipzig. Therefore, it was unsurprising that from a young age Clara Schumann received a superb musical education. She studied piano with her father, as well as violin, theory, harmony, orchestration, counterpoint, and composition with the best teachers in Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin. She grew up completely enmeshed in elite German music circles, attending every important concert, opera and play in Leipzig. From a young age, Schumann’s father escorted her around Germany, Austria, and France, exposing her to incredible music and exposing her talents to influential European circles. By the age of 9 she had made her formal solo debut in Leipzig, at 12 in Paris, and at 18 in Vienna. The European music scene was instantly taken with Schumann and her incredible talents and affectionately dubbed her “The Queen of the Piano.”
Clara met Robert Schumann during her childhood; however her father, Friedrich Wieck, was not keen on the relationships and refused to consent to her marriage. At the time Robert was not yet a well known composer, and Wieck felt that his daughter, an already well-respected international performer, was too good for him. Despite the disapproval Clara and Robert were in love and following a court battle with Wieck married in 1840, the day before she turned 21. It was a rare and true musical partnership, and they were very much in love. They started their married life in Leipzig and eventually moved to Dresden and Düsseldorf. While they were married, Clara kept up her performing, composing, and teaching. Sadly, Robert’s life was plagued with mental illness and in July 1856 at the age of 46 he died, leaving behind his wife and their eight children. After Robert’s death, Clara virtually stopped composing music, and resumed her extensive concert tours to support her children. She committed the rest of her life to keeping Robert’s memory alive, performing his works all over Europe.
Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano op. 22 (1953) was among one of the last pieces that she ever wrote. Like many composers during the 19th century, Schumann had a special proclivity for writing romances, and the genre served her well, as it showcased her lyrical and virtuosic writing.
Musicians
Jean Huang, Violin
Julia Scott Carey, Piano
Johannes Brahms
Undoubtedly one of the musical giants of the 19th century, Johannes Brahms inherited an extensive musical legacy. Brahms was born in Hamburg Germany in 1833 and grew up on the music of Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. He received an exemplary education, both academic and musical, which included lessons on the piano, cello, and horn. From a young age he fell in love with the poetry of the romantics, the writings of ETA Hoffman, and German folklore. He was a true product of the Romantic period, a fact that was very much reflected in his musical career.
As a composer Brahms was well accepted during his lifetime. His oeuvre includes an impressive output of orchestral music, choral music, chamber music, piano music, and vocal songs. Brahms was seen as the “successor” to Beethoven and Schubert in the worlds of chamber and orchestral music and to Schubert and Schumann in piano works and songs. 1853 marked a significant personal and professional turning point for Brahms. After spending the summer immersed in the music of Robert Schumann he traveled to Robert and Clara’s Düsseldorf home on September 30, 1853 and was welcomed with open arms. Almost seamlessly Brahms became part of the Schumann family, and even though he did not continue to live with them forever when Robert got sick he returned to take care of Clara and the family. He was instrumental in protecting the business dealings concerning Robert’s music, especially after his death. Brahms was very much in love with Clara and in her he saw the ideal woman; however, she held for him the same special affection a mother would for an older son. She was instrumental in launching his career, and performed many of his works when he was still a young and unknown composer. Throughout their lives they remained the closest of friends, and Brahms would always look to Clara as a source of wisdom and guidance concerning his new compositions.
Brahms’s music is full of duality and expressive emotions, again a trademark of the Romantic period. The 1860s marked his first output of truly mature pieces, including the Horn Trio op. 40.
In the Fall of 1862 Brahms arrived in Vienna, where he was quickly accepted into the foremost musical circles. Three years later, in 1865, he wrote the Horn Trio op. 40 for the Waldhorn (natural horn), and in it he abandons many of the preconceived formal conventions inherited from Classical era composers. This deviation from compositional standards provides Brahms with a greater freedom to give the horn a broader range of emotional expression. Brahms still manages to link the four movements together using motivic connections and thematic recall, and in doing so creates one of the true jewels of the 19th century chamber music repertoire.
Musicians
Nicholas Auer, Horn
Jean Huang, Violin
Julia Scott Carey, Piano
Credits
Thank Yous
Host: Chris Voss
Principal Videographer: Scott Quade
Assistant Videographer: Chris DeSanty
Recording Engineer: Antonio Oliart Ros
Video Editor: Michael Schondek
Musicologist: Christina Dioguardi
Recording venue: GBH’s Fraser Recording Studio
Bibliography
Bozarth, George S., and Walter Frisch. "Brahms, Johannes." Grove Music Online. 2001; Accessed 11 Mar. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.51879.
Reich, Nancy B. "Schumann [née Wieck], Clara." Grove Music Online.2001; Accessed 27 Jan. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.25152.