Born in Zwickau, Germany, in 1810, Robert Alexander Schumann was the son of a quite affluent family. His father encouraged his musical aspirations, but died when Robert was quite young. At the age if 18 he entered the University in Leipzig, but was far from an ideal student. He persuaded his mother that he should study the piano with Friedrich Wieck, but took that too seriously and damaged his hands with extensive practice. He was a person who wanted to follow his own path, and produced a considerable quantity of piano music.

His attentions turned to Wieck's daughter, Clara, a promising concert pianist. After a legal battle with her father they were married, and it was Clara who was to earn the couple their income as a concert pianist. Robert suffered severe periods of depression, mainly brought on by his inability to find employment. That came at last in 1850 when he was appointed Director of Music in Düsseldorf. The politics there proved too much for him, as Mendelss