Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso [Hardcover]

Susanna Reich (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A piano prodigy, Clara Schumann made her professional debut at the age of nine and had embarked on her first European concert tour by the time she was twelve. Clara charmed audiences with her soulful playing throughout her life. Music was a constant source of inspiration and support for this strong and resilient woman. After the death of her husband, Robert Schumann, Clara continued her brilliant career and supported their eight children. Clara Schumann's extraordinary story is supplemented with her letters and diary entries, some of which have never before been published in English. Gorgeous portraits and photographs show the members of Clara's famous musical community and Clara herself from age eight to seventy-six. Index, chronology.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A thorough, well-researched, and creatively illustrated biography of a child prodigy. Clara Wieck was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1819. Her troubled yet accomplished childhood is related in detail, as is her courtship and marriage to composer Robert Schumann, a student of her tyrannical father. Reich gives ample attention to their life together, including their many children, and also writes of Robert's eventual battle with mental illness. The book also offers descriptions of the Schumanns' many friendships with other composers and musicians of the day, including Brahms, Liszt, and Mendelssohn. The rich, full life of this remarkable woman is illuminated by excerpts from letters written by her and those close to her as well as excerpts from her diaries. Black-and-white illustrations include many portraits and photographs of her and her family as well as programs and advertisements from her performances. A fine complement to Barbara Allman's Her Piano Sang (Carolrhoda, 1996), which is for slightly younger readers.
Carol Fazioli, The Brearley School, New York City,
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Grade 5-8-A compelling portrait of the 19th-century child prodigy who became a remarkable composer and performer, enlivened with personal letters, paintings, and photographs. (Apr.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (April 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395891191
• ISBN-13: 978-0395891193
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,164,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults, Susanna Reich has driven big trucks, designed flowers in honor of the Emperor and Empress of Japan, and done graduate work in ancient Hawaiian hula. Her honors include the Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, Int'l Latino Book Award, Orbis Pictus Honor, ALA Notable & Best Books for Young Adults, School Library Journal Best Books, Kirkus Best Young Adult Books, Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth, and many others. Ms. Reich sits on the Board of Trustees of PEN American Center and is Chair of its Children's and Young Adult Book Authors Committee. She speaks nationally at schools and industry conferences. Visit her online at www.susannareich.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heroine for All Ages!, July 26, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso (Hardcover)

Clara Schumann (nee Wieck) lived a heroic life that would inspire anyone in any age. She lived a life of amazing contrasts: unable to speak with other people when she was young; a piano virtuoso at age 6; the student of a domineering father; the oldest child in a broken home at a young age; the major source of income for her family all her life; a young woman who had to defy her father to marry the man of her dreams; mother of 8 children; young widow; wife of one of the world's most famous composers; constantly on tour while raising her children; friend of the most prodigious muscial talents of her day; and the dominant piano performer of her time.

This book is written at a level that will appeal to all but the most serious musical fans and students. The book is full of interesting illustrations and exhibits. I enjoyed the discussion of the sources in the back of the book. The author's mother has also written about Clara Schumann, so they were able to share data. Ms. Schumann's diary was started by her father, so it contains information from both of them. She also loved to write to her friends, and spent several hours a day doing that. As a result, there are a lot of quotes in her own words.

Amazingly modern, yet little known to many modern people, Clara Schumann faced many of the conflicts and contradictions that today's young women and mothers face. Her brave and extraordinary life can provide inspiration and guidance for today . . . and tomorrow.

I especially encourage you to share this book with young people who have extraordinary talent or a calling at a young age, to help them understand what some of the issues are that they will face over the rest of their lives.

Overcome your misconceptions about what it means to be a career woman in the 21st century by examining one from the 19th century!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Virtuoso of the 19th Century, March 23, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso (Paperback)

(...) That reason is because this book provides all the necessary information needed to fill your brain with a river of knowledge about this musical genius. A few templates of information I had read from the book were:
* At age 5, Clara Schumann (her name was Clara Wieck, up until she married) had amazing talent for the average child in the world at the time. As it says, as soon as she layed her fingers on the keys of the piano for the first time, she already yielded her amazing skill at music.
* Amazing for a child in her pre-teens, her first concert was conducted at age 12, at the Gewandhaus Theatre in her birthplace and what was one of her many hometowns of Leipzig, Saxony, in Germany. One of the many guests she played for were the King and Queen of Prussia.
* Not suprising for a 16-year-old, she fell deeply in love with Robert Schumann, which, like all superstars, affected her music by how emotional her music sounded to her audience, although this aspect did not affect the quality of her music, as her emotions leaked into her music and it either told her audience whether she felt gloomy or joyful. A way it affected her personal life was by angering her father, Frederick Wieck, because he did not want anything to do with Robert Schumann. He threatened Clara that if she didn't break up with Robert, he would launch her career into mass jeopardy. So that didn't stop her from communicating with Robert. She wrote letters secretly to Robert, and all the letters she wrote to Robert up unto his death in the 1850s would fill several bookshelves.
* She had seven children total, of which a few suffered terrible fates. Her son Ferdinand served in the military and he died of morphine addiction.
* Some of her friends were Felix Mendelsohnn and Johannes Brahms.

In my opinion, I feel the author of this book, Sussana Reich, should be renowned the world over because of all the thought, effort, and precision she put into this biographical journey. She gives you every little detail you need to know about this genius. While some biographies just have the basic texts of a book, she included a timeline which I found especially helpful when I was writing a biographical report about her. This author is truely an individual who stands out from the rest of the crowd. In fact she has "convinced" me so much about her that I feel she will convince you the same way!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Talent plus Hard Work Equals an Incredible Woman, March 23, 2010

By 

M. Knapp "Maggie Knapp" (Fort Worth, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clara Schumann: Piano Virtuoso (Paperback)

Fascinating story of an incredible musical talent. This book is perfectly aimed at middle school readers, or anyone wanting an overview of a fascinating life. The language and detail are specific enough, without going into unnecessary depth for the audience. Not that the author sugar-coats Clara Schumann's life: her personal difficulties and family tragedies share time with her concert triumphs, her love for her husband, and her personal work ethic. I would recommend this book to any young reader, particularly a person with a single notable talent, or to any girl.