Since the 1980s, when she re-emerged from the peripheries into a more central position in music studies, Clara Schumann (1819–1896) has exerted an enduring fascination over the scholarly and popular imagination. Revisionist biographies, the uncovering of primary sources (diaries, letters, memorabilia), and filmic and literary depictions of Schumann have all brought into sharper focus the details and reception of her life, while simultaneously drawing attention to how much there is still to learn about her creativity. This book brings together a team of leading scholars to reappraise Clara Schumann in three particular respects: first, by delving deeper into her social and musical contexts; secondly, by offering fresh analytical perspectives on her songs and instrumental music; and thirdly, by reconsidering her legacy as a pianist and teacher. In doing so, the volume not only contributes to a rounded picture of Schumann's creative vision, but also opens up new pathways in the wider study of women in music.

'… what the individual essays exemplify is a sense of academic diversity that underpins current ways of thinking about Schumann-Wieck and her world. In doing so, they break ground not only in relation to Clara Schumann, but in relation to women in music in general.'

Juan Carlos Tellechea Source: Bibliographic Reviews

'[The book] calls us to reflect on how we tell (and retell) the stories of celebrated figures and how we can rely upon them to introduce new historical questions.'

April L. Prince Source: Notes: the Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association

‘The book represents a second generation of research that can … delve deeper into Clara Schumann’s professional circles, performance history, compositions, and reception. … the contents of Clara Schumann Studies extend and deepen the established scholarship about its subject, providing additional insights into a continually fascinating figure.’

Marian Wilson Kimber Source: Journal of the American Musicological Society