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Robert Schumann was known for his many talents, which included music criticism as well as music composition. He was also known to be a brilliant pianist before a self-inflicted hand injury end that career. Robert Schumann compositions are best remembered for their innovation and musical experimentation.  He was, as a composer, driven to originality and his music reflects this drive to innovate. He left behind dozens of compositions created before his death at age 46, including a list more than 150 songs written for piano in a single year. And his influence continued to be felt in the person of Brahms who studied under both Robert and his wife Clara.

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Robert Schumann facts are at once interesting and sad. He was born in 1810 to the son of a publisher and writer. He became known in his time for his duel talents for music criticism and classical composition, the latter of which relied upon much innovation of, and experimentation in, musical style. He is today known as one of the most influential of composer in the Romantic era of Classical music. Schumann married the daughter of a man with whom he was in legal battles. That woman became Clara Schumann, a famous pianists and composure in her own right. She also bore and was largely responsible for supporting eight children. Robert Schumann, though acclaimed, suffered mental illness and eventually took his life while in an asylum at age 46.

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Robert Schumann was born the youngest of children to a publisher and novelist. It was from his father that Schumann developed his writing talent and skill at criticism. The Robert Schumann biography is a mix tale of professional acclaim as a composer and personal struggles with internal demons. His influence on music is unquestioned; he was one of the most influential of the Romantic Classical composers. And he gained reputation for his musical criticism as well. But his accomplishments were made in the face of considerable personal struggle which left him institutionalized in his final years. He committed suicide at age 46.

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When looking to add a new tune or CD to your collection (or MP3 player), you no longer have to run down to the local music store, file through the selection and buy the one you want. And you don’t even have to go online and pay to download the music. You can instead go to one of any number of music sharing program sites on the web today and download the music you are looking for. Though challenged several times in the court for their legality, these sites are alive and very popular, and they are flourishing on the web.

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A lot of people listen to and enjoy and play music, but few people ever compose their own music. Often, this is because people assume they don’t know how to compose music, and so they do not try. Learning how to compose music can be done by learning an instrument, educating yourself on music theory, or but studying compositions. All of these things take time and practice, but if you want to compose, you will likely want to do all of these things. You can also read up on the subject of musical composition to learn about various perspectives on the subject.

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Beethoven and napoleon – an interesting combo, though they occupied very different corners of the culture of the time, did nonetheless share a common link. Beethoven, famous for his musical compositions and Napoleon, famous for his military conquests, were at first mutual admirers. So much so in fact, that Beethoven composed a work he titled the “Bonaparte Symphony in tribute to the leaders who, at the time, was fighting a popular battle in Europe at the time.Later, however, when Bonaparte declared himself to be emperor, Beethoven, angered, changed the name of the composition to the Eroica Symphony. He nonetheless add an inscription that read, “composed to celebrate the memory of great man.”

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According to recent articles of note, during the years of apartheid in South Africa, the two most known musicians from that country were Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. The two, apart from their famous opposition to apartheid, have a lot more in common.At one time, Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba were married. While Makeba is famous for her great vocal abilities, Hugh Masekela’s skills in jazz are outstanding. The two South African musicians brought South African music to the world and especially to listeners in America. One of Miriam Makeba’s hits that was received with wild acclaim in the US is the song Pata Pata.

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The storehouse of human creation on the piano is mind-bendingly large, and historically has been spread to the winds, making focused study of the subject difficult. But that all started to change in the middle of the past century with the founding of a library to store this information. The International Library of Piano Music is touted as the world’s largest collection of piano recordings, books, scores, programs and related materials. The collection also includes papers from various esteemed pianists. The archives were founded in 1965 in Cleveland, Ohio before moving to New.  In 1977, the archives were given to the University of Maryland where they remain today. Today the collection is used by students, musicians, researchers and others interested in music history and the history of piano performance.

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