German Romantic composer and influential music critic Robert Schumann was born 200 years ago, on June 8, 1810. We'll celebrate his bicentennial birthday with a day devoted to some of his best-loved symphonic, piano, and chamber music, plus some of his less-frequently heard compositions.
In 1834, Schumann began the journal Die Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik (New Journal of Music), one of the most important musical periodicals of the 19th century. In its pages, Schumann championed the composers he favored and helped shape the tastes of a new generation of music lovers.
Schumann was one of the most influential composers of his day, and without him we probably wouldn't know Brahms' music, nor would we have ever heard Schubert's Symphony No. 9, since Schumann was ultimately responsible for introducing both of them to the public.
Listen and Read: The Young Israeli Pianist Yaron Kohlberg: Fighting Schumann's Battles from NPR