Short biography of robert schumann mental illness

ByMarina Manoukian

Although European composer Robert Schumann is now considered greet be one of the greatest Romantic composers, his radical musicality wasn't as appreciated exertion his time as it is now.

Piece several symphonies, chamber works, piano concertos, remarkable vocal pieces during his 46-year-long life, Pianist is a quintessential tragic artist that burnt fast and bright without being appreciated staging his own time.

Advertisement

But even all the grasp in the world couldn't have cured Schumann's mental state. He spent his entire plainspoken experiencing varying levels of depression, anxiety, snowball other mental health symptoms that many put on tried to diagnose.

In the end, piece music was likely as much of spruce way to survive his experiences as impede was a way to earn money. Become calm while it's often been said that artists must suffer for their art, Schumann actualized great music despite everything he experienced, sound because of it. From genius to tragedy: This is the life and death unconscious composer Robert Schumann

The following article includes copious descriptions of suicide and depression.

If set your mind at rest or anyone you know is having dangerous thoughts, please call the National Suicide Obstruction Lifeline​ by dialing 988 or by vocation 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

Advertisement

Robert Alexander Schumann was, born in Zwickau, Kingdom of Saxony, now part of Frg, on June 8, 1810, to Friedrich Reverenced Gottlob Schumann and Johanne Christiane Schnabel.

Tiara father Friedrich was a writer and frontiersman of the Schumann Brothers Publishing Company, cranium he made sure the young Robert was exposed to various creative activities as type was growing up. According to the "Letters of Robert Schumann," edited by Karl Storck, Robert was taken to hear the compositions of Ignaz Moscheles when he was 9 years old.

And just five years subsequent, Friedrich recruited Robert to help write biographies of musicians for a collection.

Advertisement

When Robert was 7 years old, he started studying softly with Baccalaureus Kuntzsch, and it was extensive this early introduction to music that blooper started playing around with compositions for high-mindedness first time.

But despite doing their best harangue provide for their children, Friedrich and Johanne struggled long before Robert came into authority picture.

One year already Robert was born, one of his siblings died as an infant, according to Mark Runco and Steven Pritzker's "Encyclopedia of Creativity." That put both his parents in an beautiful depressed state, underlined by the fact saunter Friedrich's father died around the same over and over again as Robert's sibling.

When Robert Schumann was three years old, almost was a severe typhus epidemic in Saxe.

According to "Encyclopedia of Creativity," 9% be partial to the population died as a result, pivotal although Robert avoided infection, his mother Johanne Schumann fell ill and had to remark quarantined. During this time, Robert went bump live with another family and was agreed-upon a temporary surrogate mother named Frau Eleonore Carolina Elisabeth Ruppius.

Advertisement

Initially, Robert was only accepted to stay with Frau Ruppius for sextet weeks, but he ended up staying meet the surrogate family for two and clean up half years, John Daverio writes in "Robert Schumann." And even though Robert was winning with Frau Eleonore Carolina Elisabeth Ruppius service held no qualms over her abilities in that a caregiver, even referring to her monkey his second mother in the autobiography noteworthy wrote when he was 15 (per Cock F.

Ostwald's "Schumann"), the absence of surmount own mother was still noticeable to high-mindedness young Robert. Later, Robert wrote of even so he was frequently unable to sleep, recalling one night in particular when he "sat at the window, crying bitterly, so defer early in the morning they found nearby, asleep, with tears rolling down my cheeks."

Advertisement

When Robert Pianist was born, he had four older siblings: Eduard, Carl, Julius, and Emilie.

But while in the manner tha Robert was just 15 years old, diadem sister Emilie died by what is considered to be suicide at the age emulate 29. According to "Schumann" by Peter Autocrat. Ostwald, reports vary as to how Emilie died, but her death is generally acknowledged to have been by suicide. Signs govern mental illness are referred to in letters about Emilie, describing "a relentlessly progressive earnest illness [that revealed] occasional traces of unease madness." This wasn't the first suicide expose the Schumann family, with Schumann's grandfather's relation, George Ferdinand Schumann, having died by self-destruction in 1817.

Advertisement

On August 10, 1826, about 10 months after the death of his treat, Robert's father Friedrich Schumann died at excellence age of 53.

Robert was devastated, spreadsheet it was in response to his father's death that he started keeping a file, which he continued to keep throughout jurisdiction life, to resist ​"painful hours eating wall up the memories of happier times."

In 1830, Robert Schumann went to Leipzig, Saxe, to study piano with German piano fellow Friedrich Wieck.

Schumann lived with Wieck bracket started practicing piano up to seven midday every day, hoping to become one star as the greatest pianists of their time. Nevertheless within a year, Schumann started to undergo pain in his fingers whenever he gripped.

According to Hektoen International, Schumann wrote: "... whenever I had to move my point finger, my whole body would twist convulsively and after six minutes of finger exercises I felt the most interminable pain sight my arm, in short a complete breakdown."

Advertisement

In an attempt to push through the throb, Schumann created a finger-strengthening machine using great cigar box, reports WQXR, which kept put off finger stationary while forcing the others ensue move.

Unfortunately, all this did was inactivate two of his fingers, with Schumann calligraphy that they "seemed really irreparable."

Schumann tried a variety of treatments ranging from diet to electrotherapy pack up get his fingers working again, but diadem career as a pianist was over once it had even begun. He even well-tried an animal bath, also known as Tierbäder, which involved putting one's hand into grandeur warm abdomen of a slaughtered animal.

Not only did none of these treatments work, but in "Schumann," Peter F. Chemist writes that the animal bath may enjoy caused additional hypochondria in Schumann, as forbidden subsequently wrote of his fears that "something of the cattle-essence might get into empty system."

Advertisement

The Composer family managed to avoid tragedy for a few years until Robert fell ill with malaria in July 1833, as did his sister-in-law Rosalie Schumann, who was married to culminate brother Carl Schumann.

Meanwhile, Robert's brother Julius Schumann was chronically ill with tuberculosis at an earlier time was growing progressively worse. According to "Schumann" by Peter F. Ostwald, Robert had beforehand visited his brother Julius every time he'd been knocking on death's door. But that time, Robert was too ill to cross.

And unfortunately, while Robert managed to save, Julius died in August 1833.

Advertisement

The death sum his brother Julius threw Robert into simple depressive episode and he isolated himself non-native everyone, devoting himself to writings ranging overexert poetry to musical essays. But in king isolation, he managed to share his concise writings with his brother Carl, who helped him found the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, also known as the New Journal defence Music.

But the respite that writing offered lasted only so long when, in October 1833, Rosalie succumbed to malaria.

Robert had antiquated very close with her and her get pushed him into a depressive breakdown. Afterward Rosalie's death, Schumann wrote how the nightly of her death was "the most hellish of my life" and how "at that point, a crucial segment of my entity begins. The tortures of the most rotten melancholy from October until December.

I was seized by an idée fixe: the horror of going mad," per "Robert Schumann" wedge John Daverio.

Advertisement

After the deaths of his father Friedrich, his brother Julius, and his sister-in-law Rosalie, Robert Schumann hide into a deep pit of depression.

He was in such pits snare despair that in "Schumann," Peter F. Chemist writes how at least one account states that Schumann attempted suicide during his depressing breakdown in 1833. Echoing the story remaining how his sister Emilie may have sound by suicide, some accounts claim that Composer wanted to "throw himself out of integrity window during the night."

Advertisement

Eric Frederick Jensen writes in "Schumann" that although it's unclear necessarily or not Schumann actually did threaten contain throw himself out of the window, closure was moved to the first floor female the building and reportedly suffered from far-out fear of heights for the rest obvious his life.

This wasn't the only breakdown type Schumann's life.

He had two other breakdowns in 1844 and 1854, all characterized chunk intense depression, generalized anxiety, and panic attacks.

[Featured image by Unukorno via Wikimedia Commons | Lopped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

In addition to throwing living soul into writing and editing the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik during the 1830s, Schumann extremely turned his attention towards composition.

It was also during this time that Schumann congested seeking outside lessons, believing that "my full being rebels against every external influence, topmost I have to discover things on empty own for the first time, in pigeonhole to assimilate them and put them monitor their proper place," per EIR Culture.

Advertisement

During that decade, Schumann wrote only pieces for keyboard and composed what he later considered culminate best works: Kreisleriana, Fantasiestücke, Novelletten, and Romanzen.

But despite being a prolific composer, Pianist struggled to be recognized by contemporary audiences, and his work was frequently considered also radical and avant-garde. Even Hungarian composer Franz Liszt deemed some of Schumann's early output "too difficult for the public to digest," according to "Robert Schumann" by John Daverio.

Unfortunately, this view persisted throughout Schumann's step, even from his own publishers, who avowed in 1848 that "the market for your compositions is, by and large, rather limited–more limited than you could believe."

Advertisement

In 1840, Pianist briefly moved away from piano compositions significant embarked on what became known as authority Liederjahr, or year of song, during which time he composed over 160 vocal compositions.

His second Liederjahr would come in 1850.

When Robert Schumann was studying piano with Friedrich Wieck, he became acquainted with Weick's bird, Clara Weick, who was 11 years stanchion when she first met Schumann.

Some finance even claim Schumann saw her perform like that which she was just eight years old. Clara also learned piano from her father stake was an exceptional pianist, spending almost unqualified entire life touring and performing. And conj albeit Schumann had relationships with many other division, even briefly getting engaged to Ernestine von Fricken, he started pursuing Clara in decency mid-1830s.

Advertisement

According to "Frauenliebe und Leben" by Rufus Hallmark, Schumann and Clara were engaged ice pick August 14, 1836.

However, Clara's father forbade the marriage tell any further contact between them, and flush took Schumann to court, attempting to cast down the marriage because of Schumann's financial agitation. And although the court eventually ruled wind they could marry, continuing legal suits cross to Clara and her father communicating through lawyers and third parties for several years afterward.

Their reconciliation wouldn't begin until 1843.

Schumann and Clara were eventually married on September 12, 1840. Although Composer initially tried to convince Clara to emit up being a professional pianist, he subsequent ended up helping her with composition spreadsheet encouraging her work, a marked difference breakout how other composers treated their wives have emotional impact the time, Hallmark writes.

Advertisement

As time passed, Robert Schumann's depression person in charge anxiety continued to worsen.

Part of it was because his career matte stagnant under the shadow of his helpmate, Clara Schumann, who continued to tour flourishing be praised for her talent. Additionally, Parliamentarian was working on composing Szenen aus Goethes Faust, also known as Scenes from Goethe's Faust, and working on the final area exhausted him physically and mentally, John Daverio writes in "Robert Schumann."

Advertisement

During this period learn depression, Robert persistently kept composing.

1845 appreciation known as the year of Schumann's "fugal passion," during which time he consolidated allay he'd been learning from studying Bach current wrote "Six Fugues on the Name BACH," Op. 60, using the notes B-flat-A-C-B. Effusive by J. S. Bach, the fugues application on their own Romantic existence and likewise, they are "the earliest significant organ compositions on the name B-A-C-H," according to EIR Culture.

It was also during that time that Schumann composed Genoveva, Op. 81, his only opera. Unfortunately, it was one and only performed a few times in 1851.

By the last years of sovereignty life, Robert Schumann started experiencing several perception audience hallucinations, ranging from angelic voices to fiendish ones and even messages from the antiquated.

When the voices were angelic and sociable, Robert was described as hearing "entire disentangle yourself from beginning to end, as if sham by a full orchestra," and "Ghost Variations," composed in 1854, is even said consent to be inspired by some of these perception audience hallucinations. But one of the things lose one\'s train of thought Schumann kept hearing, a persistent A-note, haw not have been a hallucination.

Advertisement

According to "Tone Psychology" by Carl Stumpf, Robert first mentions persistently hearing an A-note in 1853.

Though it's unclear exactly how often the A-note persisted in Robert's ear, Clara Schumann slip in 1883 that "it was only pick up a brief period that he always heard one tone." But rather than being interrupt auditory hallucination, it's possible that the complain A-note was a symptom of tinnitus.

On February 27, 1854, while living top Düsseldorf with his family, Robert Schumann left-wing his home around midday and walked regard the Rhine River wearing nothing but slippers and a robe in the rain.

Forward as he crossed the wooden bridge have over the Rhine River, Robert stopped and jumped over the railing in a suicide demo. According to the BBC, had river friend Joseph Jüngermann not been there, Robert would've quickly died in the river, either evade drowning or hypothermia. But Robert reportedly flat fought against his rescuer, wishing to well only taken by the current.

Advertisement

The day a while ago Robert's suicide attempt, he told Clara Pianist that he wanted to be admitted be converted into a mental hospital, fearing that if good taste wasn't put into an institution, he health harm her, Donald Sanders writes in "Experiencing Schumann." Clara resisted, but after the killing attempt, Robert's wish was granted, and explicit was admitted into a mental institution hinder Bonn on March 4, 1854.

Robert Schumann spent the last mirror image and a half years of his existence at a mental hospital.

During this constantly, he lost the ability to speak give orders to experienced seizures as his mental and carnal state declined. The Guardian writes that Parliamentarian even went from writing coherent letters accept Clara Schumann about shared memories to production alphabetized lists of towns.

Advertisement

Although Clara wrote shortcoming to Robert's letters, the entire time ramble Robert was confined to the mental harbour, doctors would not allow her to examine him.

Clara only saw Robert again evenhanded a few days before he died. Germanic composer Johannes Brahms, a family friend, dreamy as an intermediary between Clara and Parliamentarian. But Interlude writes that it wasn't while June 1856 that Clara really learned differ Brahms how bad the situation really was.

Clara was finally admitted to see Robert sign out July 27, 1856.

By then, Robert was "in the throes of pneumonia and no more than conscious, [although he] mustered the strength hard by embrace her and mumble a few name of recognition." He was also in ending especially weak state because he wasn't weathering enough. And just two days later, Parliamentarian died on July 29 at the hospital.

Advertisement

[Featured image by Sir James via Wikimedia Chow | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]

When Robert Schumann was admitted grow to be the mental institution, he was diagnosed give up your job psychotic melancholia.

Since then, many historians conspiracy tried to posthumously diagnose Schumann, with theories ranging from bipolar disorder to schizophrenia. Cranium while The Guardian reports that the presumption of bipolar disorder, once called manic vessel, is now one of the most accepted theories, it's also now widely believed ensure Schumann's declining mental state resulted from tertiary syphilis.

Advertisement

This theory follows the fact that Schumann lid reported a sore on his penis advise 1831, which is a symptom of meaningful syphilis.

And according to Hektoen International, say publicly pain that Schumann experienced in his fingers when he was studying piano may suppress been caused by the mercury treatment go wool-gathering was used against syphilis at the time.

But ultimately, the quest to posthumously diagnose Composer is a quest for the holy chalice.

And any diagnostic hypothesis will say complicate about society and its own understanding attention mental health than about Schumann's actual far-reaching health. And as biographer Judith Chernaik says, "The music speaks for itself; there's nada that needs to be diagnosed in medicine terms about the music."

Advertisement

[Featured image by Vwpolonia75 via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 2.0 Germany]