[late evening listening] dearieme presents schumann

Kinderszenen [1838] and in particular, Träumerei, reflects on Schumann's love for Clara Wieck but was actually, as he wrote in a letter to her, a reflection of her comment that he sometimes seemed to her as a child.

The real life story was more than interesting. Clara, his piano instructor's daughter, put on a concert, aged 13, which Schumann attended and apparently his mother said to Clara, "You must marry my Robert one day."

Prophetic words.

In 1834, aged 24, he became engaged to Ernestine von Fricken, 16 but Clara made a reappearance at 15, he fell in love, Ernestine was found to be illegitimate, hence no dowry and so he and Clara declared their love. Papa was having none of that though and put a stop to it.

In 1836, it had not really ended with Clara but there was a legal battle between the father and Schumann, resolved when she turned of age in 1840; they married on September 12th [anniversary next Saturday] and that was that for the rest of his life.