Fantasiestücke, Op. 73

Robert Schumann (1810–1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic, and is considered one of the most significant and representative figures of the Romantic era in music. His music is deeply personal, emotional, and often autobiographical, a reflection of his passionate temperament and lifelong struggles with mental illness.
Born in Zwickau, Saxony, Schumann was drawn to both music and literature from a young age. Though he initially studied law at the insistence of his family, his passion for music was overwhelming. He began rigorous piano study with the demanding teacher Friedrich Wieck, intending to become a virtuoso pianist. A self-inflicted injury to his hand, however, ended his performing career prematurely and forced him to focus entirely on composition.
Schumann’s creative output was intensely prolific but often came in concentrated bursts focused on a single genre.
His early works are almost exclusively for solo piano and often feature programmatic or literary themes, with pieces like Carnaval (Op. 9), Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15), and Fantasie in C Major (Op. 17).
1840 was his Liederjahr (year of song), during which he composed over 130 art songs, including the famous cycle Dichterliebe (Poet's Love) set to texts by Heinrich Heine.
He later turned to orchestral and chamber music, composing four symphonies and many acclaimed chamber pieces, including the Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, which remains a cornerstone of the repertoire.
In 1834, Schumann founded the influential music journal Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New Journal for Music), using it to champion the music of emerging composers like Frédéric Chopin and Johannes Brahms.
Schumann's life was intertwined with that of his wife, the brilliant pianist and composer Clara Wieck Schumann, whom he married in 1840 after a lengthy legal battle with her father. They had eight children and shared a deep artistic partnership.