Schumann Saturday: Clara Schumann Piano Sonata
Piano Sonata in G minor by Clara Schumann (1819–1896)
Diana Gao, piano
Clara Schumann, née Wieck (b. 1819 in Leipzig), remains nearly 130 years after her death one of the most famous women composers and performers in the classical music world. While she has often been considered in the context of her marriage to fellow composer Robert Schumann, Clara made a name for herself as a gifted pianist and composer in her own right. Raised in a musical family, she first performed at the Leipzig Gewandhaus at the age of 9 and met Robert in the same year, who was studying piano with Clara’s father. Clara and Robert’s eventual marriage, Robert’s early death, and the couple’s friendship with Johannes Brahms remains a favorite topic in classical music storytelling but has not overtaken Clara Schumann’s legacy as a prolific composer and touring pianist.
While Clara Schumann enjoyed a successful public career in music during her lifetime, her Piano Sonata in G minor, which was composed in late 1841-1842, remained unpublished in full until 1991. Part of the work was allegedly composed as a Christmas gift for Robert, which perhaps explains why it was not put forth to publishers during her life. While Clara’s contemporaries may not have had the pleasure of hearing this piece, we can happily enjoy it now as 21st-century listeners.