C. Schumann, Smyth & Beach: Works for Violin & Piano
2/1/2019, 13 Tracks, 1:11:29
Featuring
Tasmin Little
John Lenehan
Amy Beach
Clara Schumann
Ethel Smyth
Did you know?
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Composer Biography
Ethel Smyth, an English composer, studied at the Leipzig Conservatory against her father's wishes and was encouraged in her musical endeavors by Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms.
Composition History
Clara Schumann's Drei Romanzen (Three Romances) for Violin and Piano, Op. 22, was her final chamber work, composed in July 1853 and dedicated to the virtuoso violinist Joseph Joachim.
Composer Biography
Clara Schumann composed relatively little after her marriage, partly because giving concerts was more lucrative and necessary to support her large family, especially after her husband's admission to an asylum.
Critical Reception
Clara Schumann's Drei Romanzen were praised upon publication in 1855, but like many of her works, they fell out of the repertoire after her death and were only rediscovered with their republication in 1983.
Composer Biography
Clara Schumann's husband, Robert Schumann, preferred her performing to composing, while Amy Beach's husband preferred her composing to performing.
Composition History
Amy Beach's Violin Sonata, Op. 34, was premiered in Boston in 1897 by Beach herself and Franz Kneisel, a renowned violinist and leader of the Kneisel Quartet.
Compositional Technique
Clara Schumann's Drei Romanzen contain subtle allusions to her husband Robert Schumann's works, such as his Violin Sonata No. 1 and Piano Concerto, reflecting their marital relationship.
