Schumann and His World

Rating:
Summary: "Hats off, folks, . . . a great find!"
Review: Schumann and His World is a marvelous reference for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Schumann: the man, his music, how his contemporaries viewed him, what was happening socially and in the music world at the time, and what a range of historians have to say about all of the above. It is not a biography, but rather a collection of essays, letters, memoirs and musical criticism written by Schumann himself, his 19th century contemporaries (incl Mendelssohn, Liszt, Brendel and Weingartner), and by historians of both the 19th and 20th centuries. As a source of primary materials, it is a terrific companion to a biography (I found Jensen's 2001 biography to be great). For many it may not replace the need for a biography, since there are many references that may not be understood without at least a rudimentary knowledge of Schumann's life and his music. As a lecturer in music history, I can say that this book enriched my overall knowledge of Schumann's life and his music, and the music of his time, by one hundred percent.