The only woman Brahms loved, Robert Schumann’s wife, Clara Schumann
Johannes Brahms (1833.5.7.4.3.), born in Hamburg, Germany, was a composer, pianist, cellist, violinist, and conductor.
He lived mainly as a musician in Vienna, Austria, and was a leading figure in romantic music. He is also called the “3B” along with Bach and Beethoven.
There was a woman he loved, and she was Clara Schumann, wife of his teacher Robert Schumann.
His personal life is so secretive and limited that there is a lot of debate and speculation.
There may be inaccuracies in this subject, which is mainly based on what is known, so you should refer to it and understand it, but what is clear is that Brahms was known to have had deep relationships with several women, but he never married and remained single throughout his life.
It is not known exactly why Brahms did not marry. However, Brahms is known to be musically famous for his passion and dedication. Composing was a work that required a lot of concentration, so one may think that marriage and family responsibility may interfere with the creative process
Moreover, Brahms is an introvert and private personality, and may be an unmarried choice to avoid social pressure or the complexities and difficulties of human relationships.
Brahms had a relationship with several women, the most famous of whom was Clara Schumann. She was a composer and the wife of Brahms’ musical teacher, Robert Schumann.
1. Brahms and Clara’s meeting
In September 1853, Schumann and Clara held a concert in Vienna, where Schumann acknowledged Brahms’ musical talent and potential and had his wife, Clara, perform some piano pieces composed by Johann Brahms. Clara then came to play Brahms’ music.
Since then, Schumann has been close to Brahms as a family, and Brahms has been able to establish friendships and musical exchanges with Schumann’s family.
With this as an intermediary medium, Clara and Johan Brahms first met and a relationship between them was formed.
Clara Josephine Wieck (September 13, 1819. – May 20, 1896), wife of Robert Schumann, was a 19th-century German pianist and composer.
She is highly recognized in her time for her unique and solid musical skills, and her work and achievements are still highly valued to this day.
Clara was born in Leipzig and learned music from the age of five, and gained a reputation as a genius girl pianist from an early age.
At that time, he developed composition activities in the male-centered music world and also worked as a pianist, creating and performing many works.
In addition, his outstanding performance skills and emotional interpretation were highly praised by artists of the same era and received a lot of love and respect from them. Robert Schumann admired Clara’s outstanding musical talent and fell in love with her.
Finally, when Clara turned 18, Schumann proposed to Clara and she accepted the proposal in 1837. Friedrich, the father, strongly opposed the marriage, and refused to allow it, leading to a court case with his father and marrying him in 1840.
They had six children, married and engaged in music, and Clara supported her husband in composing.
After the performance in 1853, Schumann thought of Brahms as a family and became close, and Brahms was also able to establish friendships and musical exchanges with Schumann’s family. With Schumann as an intermediary, Clara and Johann Brahms first met and a relationship was formed between them.
Clara’s husband Schumann composed many songs and became a lecturer at the Leibniz Conservatory in Mendelssohn and conductor of the Dresden Choir.
In 1854, Schumann developed an abnormality in his health. As Schumann’s symptoms worsened, he attempted suicide by throwing himself off the Rhine Bridge on Feb. 27 for fear of harming Clara
Schumann was admitted to a psychiatric hospital near Bundestag Vaughan and treated.
Two years later, in 1856, Robert Schumann died at the age of 46 in Endenich’s hospital. During this period, Brahms acted as a mediator between Clara and Schumann, who had psychotic symptoms.
Brahms lived with a kind of platonic love affair with Clara, who was 14 years her senior.
He had a strong relationship with several women, and was once engaged to Agate von Gibault of Göttingen, but he was soon dismissed.
2. Death of Clara’s husband Robert Schumann
After the death of her husband, Schumann, Clara worked as a music commentator and put a lot of effort into composing.
After Robert Schumann’s death, Clara and Brahms exchanged letters, comforting and supporting each other, while their relationship grew deeper and deeper, traveling together and becoming close friends.
The relationship between Clara and Brahms is remembered for their positive and creative friendship and is thought to have been a great motivation, supporting and inspiring each other.
After Robert Schumann’s death, the emotional bond between Brahms and Clara became stronger, so the letters they exchanged are an important source of friendship and artistic exchange between them.
These letters cover a variety of topics.
Let’s take a look at some of the famous letters.
- 12 September 1854, Brahms to Clara: expressing his musical passion, creative process, and affection for her.
- To Clara by Brahms in 1868: Brahms opinions on composition and mutual support and encouragement.
- 15 October 1877 Brahms to Clara: Brahms said he hoped to hear Clara play his work, offering support and thanks.
- To Brahms by Clara in 1886: confirming the health and safety of each other, exchanging opinions and artistic motivation, etc
There are many other correspondence, but most of them are personal and have not been published or published.
However, as can be seen from the examples above, the letters between them are full of various topics such as support, advice, and sharing the creative process, showing the deep relationship between them.
The exchange of such letters shows that Clara Schumann had a great influence on Johann Brahms’ compositional activities, and the influence is evident in many works.
Some of the representative songs written under Clara’s inspiration and influence in the relationship between Clara and Brahms are as follows.
- Symphony No. 1, in D minor, Op. 68: Brahms composed it as the first symphony dedicated to Clara. Clara is known for giving support and encouragement to the first draft of this work.
- Piano Concerto No. 1, in D minor, Op. 15: This concerto is the first piano concerto Brahms dedicated to Clara. This work is known to reflect the strong friendship and compassion between the two.
- Piano Sonata for solo use No. 3, F minor, Op. 5: This sonata is one of Brahms’ large-scale piano pieces he wrote in his youth, and he wanted to play with Clara Schumann.
- Anthems “And the saints look up into the sky”, in A major: this anthems was composed by Brahms in memory of Robert Schumann, mentioning the names of Clara Schumann and Robert Schumann.
3. Brahms and Clara’s Platonic Love
The reason why Brahms did not fall in love with any woman and did not marry anyone, even though a woman like Clara had a great influence on her work, is that Brahms wanted to grow into an independent artist by focusing on his composing activities.
In addition, it is predicted that romantic feelings and deep friendships have been formed in the relationship between Brahms and Clara, and it may not have been necessary to form a romantic relationship with another person.
Clara was already married to Robert Schumann, although Brahms had a deep love affair, and even if Schumann died, there were various pressures and restrictions on their relationship leading to marriage.
And Brahms wanted to grow up to be an independent artist, focusing on his composition.
As a result, the relationship between the two changed over time, and eventually the two separated. The paradox, which can be attributed to Robert Schumann’s death, is also convincing.
Clara and Schumann’s reputation, who have musical reputation, and the family’s stinging eyes must have served as a big wall because they are older than them, who are 14 years older than them.
Although Brahms had a love affair with another woman, it is predicted that it would be difficult to accept another love other than Clara. It was because he was a workaholic who wanted to focus on music rather than love.
Clara went through a complicated situation as she took on family responsibility due to her husband’s death, and there were many differences in personality and lifestyle with Brahms.
Although Brahms was a private and introverted personality, Clara had preferred to be socially active and interacted.
Because of these differences, the relationship between Brahms and Clara is not clear about when it ended or when it happened. However, as time passed, Clara passed away in 1896, a year before Brahms’ death.
Johannes Brahms is known not only as a composer, but also as a pianist, cellist, violinist, and conductor. Born in Hamburg, he lived mainly as a musician in Vienna, Austria, and was a leading figure in romantic music of the time.
He composed many works in various genres, gaining high popularity, influence, and fame throughout his life, including symphonies, concertos, and vocal music.
Clara Schumann was also known throughout Europe for her genius piano talent, and continued to later generations to the extent that she was featured on German 100-mark bills.
