Schumann, Clara Josephine, n�e Wieck 1819-96
German pianist and composer

Born in Leipzig, she was the daughter of a Leipzig piano teacher, Friedrich Wieck, who taught her to be a highly skilled concert pianist. She gave her first Gewandhaus concert when only 11 and the following year four of her polonaises were published. She married Schumann in 1840, despite her father's opposition, and became his foremost interpreter. She undertook a concert tour of Russia (without him) in 1844. From 1856 she played regularly for the Royal Philharmonic Society in London, promoting her husband's work wherever she went. From 1878 she was principal piano teacher at the Frankfurt am Main Conservatory. Her own compositions include piano music and songs. She was a close friend of Brahms during her husband's last illness and after his death.