Schumann: The Faces and the Masks

Covers a lot of topics, but not in depth. More of a summary of his life than an exploration of how he lived.

“Our sweetest songs are those of saddest thought.” Percy ShelleyLayered Circles of experience are impossible to describe in analytical words but one can get a sense of the art of creation while listening to music. Schumann: the Facesand The Masks is a biography of Robert Schumann-his life and his music in his own time. Judith Chernaik is a Shelley scholar, Percy and Mary. Mary Shelly famously said that “Invention, it must be humbly admitted, does not consist in creating out of void, but out of chaos.” Robert Schumann led his chaotic life being a lover, a husband, a father, a friend, a writer, an editor, a composer; in other words, a committed involved artistic life. This whole life is wonderfully described.It is impossible to ignore the emotional character of this great Romantic composer. This biography of the man and his music had access to sources only recently available to modern scholars. There is authority in a historical narrative focused on the compositions placed in their time. An important thread is a subtle and dynamic analysis of the famous 19th century marriage of Clara and Robert Schumann conceived by an author working in the 21st century.For example: “Schumann’s settings {of Heine’s lyrics} realize the double nature of romantic love in his own expressive musical idiom-incorporating dark forebodings even as he gives voice to the ecstasy of t he lover, tempering the lover’s tears with recollections of past joy.” (p.137)A contemporary plus is the ability to listen to multiple renditions of Schumann’s music while reading Doctor Chernaik’s close readings of the score and/or text. It is important that I make clear that I am an audience, a listener, not a scholar. Dr. Chernaik clearly This is a glorious, fascinating and informative book.

As an account of Schumann's life, this biography is truly excellent. Thanks to previously unavailable sources, we can now be pretty sure that the dramatic mental sickness and untimely death of the composer were caused by syphilis, contracted early in his life. (Perhaps his early hand injury was also caused by syphilis, though this is not discussed by the author.) I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of any deeper musical analysis, perhaps due to the fact that the author is not a professional musician. The dichotomy between the Florestan and Eusebius sides of Schumann's personality may explain the composer's motivation, but says very little about the music, since any composition of Beethoven, say, could be "explained" in similar terms, as an alternation between passionate-dramatic and lyric-poetic episodes. A similar thing can be said about Schumann's way of relating musical motives to strings of letters, such as ASCH or ABEGG.

A sympathetic -- but not apologist -- and reasonably detailed biography of composer Robert Schumann reveals him as a man of great musical gifts but one afflicted with significant personal flaws: abandoned his pregnant mistress and never bothered to see or care for their illegitimate child; dumped one fiancee when he learned she was neither noble nor rich; assuaged his "broken heart," and contracted syphilis, the likely cause of his eventual mental collapse, with a prostitute. Particularly interesting are Schumann's interactions with contemporary musicians (Chopin, Mendelssohn), and of course his muse, Clara. For this reader, the biographical elements of the text -- Schumann's life -- were of far greater interest than the discussion of Schumann's compositions, which had a tendency to impede the flow of the book. Recommended, but anyone idolizing the subject may be disappointed to learn details of his many faults.

Really good book. Not overly academic but probing enough to get a great feel for what motivated and inspired RS to be the groundbreaking composer he was. The writing style is engaging, stirs interest and empathy, and serves as a perfect introduction to the subject. So many of his compositions are treated well here with in-depth analyses and study while also discussing the criticism RS took from others (and himself). I came to this as someone with a longtime interest in classical music but with very little knowledge about RS. This remedies the deficiency perfectly and would inspire anyone to read further and begin listening more attentively to the music he made.

I wonder about the value of a composer’s biography. It is, after all, the music that matters. I recently read a biography of Chopin which had the effect of diminishing my admiration for him as a man and, though I will try to resist the effect, of his music. That made me wonder whether I should avoid the biographies of composers, especially those whose music I love. This biography of Robert Schumann restores at least my ambivalence about the subject. It’s a fine job and enhances my appreciation of Schumann’s music and whets my appetite for Clara’s as well. It is a model of what a composer’s biography should be.

This is a wonderful biography for describing the type of person Schumann was and his relationship with Clara. I also found it interesting how he related to other composers of his time, especially Mendelssohn and Chopin.The one weakness in the book is the absence of musical examples. When Judith Cherniak wrote about Schumann's music it would have been helpful to include some excerpts from his music.

Too superficial even for beginners. The author suggests that readers can look the music up on the internet (!) When there are so many other books, even at a very basic level, there's not a lot going for this one except maybe the size of the font

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This biography is beautifully and engagingly written, with all the detail you could want and with the latest revelations as to his illness and premature death. There are lots of details about his relationship with contemporary artists and composers; I was particularly struck by his relationship with Chopin. He did so much to further Chopin's career and fame, but Chopin apparently viewed him and his work with little respect.There is also much insight into his relationship with Clara and her father, and how that developed with the heart-breaking legal proceedings required to allow them to marry. Also, the author goes into a fair amount of non-technical evaluations of the his works and how they came to be.I'm only about half-way through, but I really look forward to the accounts of his first meetings with Brahms, and Brahms visits with him in the sanatorium.For any Schumann enthusiast, a must read.

As a Schumann lover, I always wanted to know more about him and the meaning behind his music. This book goes in depth to tell the reader what inspired Schumann's compositions and how the events in his life influence his music. 10/10 must read for any Schumann fan out there.

Fascinating biography written with authority. She writes clearly and brings alive the many friends of Schumann. Clara’s love is abundantly clear. The book makes you want to listen to Schumann’s music.