One of Germany’s greatest composers, Robert Schumann (1810-1856) showed talent as both a musician and a music critic from an early age. He studied piano with Friedrich Wieck and married Friedrich’s daughter Clara despite her father’s virulent opposition. She would become his chief musical interpreter, a valuable artistic partner without whom much of his music might not have been written. His mental illness manifested in his early 20s, and an unsuccessful suicide attempt in 1854 effectively ended his composing career. His mastery in piano, chamber, vocal, and symphonic music has been noted.