Robert Schumann

Robert Schumann, one of the giants of early romantic music, was born in Saxony in 1810 and died in an asylum shortly after his 46th birthday. Early in life, he demonstrated extraordinary skills in both music and journalism; he remained active in both areas until his final illness. His marriage to the remarkable pianist, Clara Wieck, provided him with both much-needed emotional support and a highly effective champion of his music throughout her lengthy career. Schumann's plans to be a concert pianist were thwarted at least partially by an injury to his right hand, the nature of which has been the subject of much speculation. After considering what few facts are available, the author concludes that this may have represented focal dystonia. His compositional output waxed and waned dramatically over his professional life, reflecting to some degree his emotional state. It is considered most likely that he suffered from a major affective disorder, bipolar type. This ultimately led to a suicide attempt in February 1854, and to his eventual death in July 1856. Despite wide-spread and reasonable suspicion that he may have died from neurosyphilis, severe malnutrition from self-starvation seems more likely.