Clara Schumann

Clara and her husband Robert Schumann had eight children together during their intense, highly documented marriage. Clara continued to tour and compose while managing their large household and Robert's declining mental health.

While Johannes Brahms was a brilliant composer, Clara Schumann was widely considered the superior concert pianist during their lifetime. She was one of the first pianists to perform entirely from memory, a practice that is now standard in classical concerts.

Clara Schumann composed a celebrated Piano Concerto in A minor when she was just a teenager, as well as numerous songs, romance pieces, and a Piano Trio in G minor. Her compositions are experiencing a major revival in modern classical recording.

Yes, she was appointed as a piano teacher at the prestigious Leipzig Conservatory, though she later became much more famous for her long tenure at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt. She taught there for over a decade, shaping the next generation of European pianists.