Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman by Nancy B. ReichReview by: E. Douglas BombergerNotes, Second Series, Vol. 59, No. 3 (Mar., 2003), pp. 632-633Published by: Music Library AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/901053 .

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NOTES, March 2003 NOTES, March 2003

American composer did something origi- nal, the critics (especially in America) ei- ther dismissed it as noise or called it an imitation of some European like Schoen- berg or Hindemith. (p. 8)

Perhaps this is why Cowell's "reviews" or commentaries on his contemporaries' mu- sical ideas are so important. Cowell's open- minded advocacy and his intriguing de- scriptions of modern and experimental American music helped wean audiences from preemptive, tradition-based judg- ments and freed composers to broaden their horizons. Essential Cowell is a conve- nient, enlightening, and readable volume. As the only such compilation of Cowell's writings, it assumes an undeniably impor- tant position in music literature.

JENNIFER DELAPP University of Maryland

Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman. By Nancy B. Reich. Revised ed. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2001. [xxvii, 385 p. ISBN 0-8014- 3740-7. $50 (hbk.); ISBN 0-8014-8637- 8. $21.95 (pbk.).] Illustrations, catalog of works, bibliography, index.

In the preface to the first edition of her landmark biography of Clara Schumann (1985), Nancy B. Reich stated, "In seeking a modern approach to this great artist, I have examined new sources and reexam- ined old. This study has deepened my re- gard for the artist and the woman; it has also convinced me that she is worthy of the truth" (p. xii). The quest for historical truth was evident throughout the book, as the author provided a more thorough, well- rounded, and realistic portrait of this com- plex woman than had been available up to that time. The impetus for a revised edition was not a reinterpretation of this portrait, but rather the availability of new sources of documentation that she was unable to use in preparing the first edition. Of these new sources, Reich states, "though they did not change my basic conceptions of the charac- ter and personality of Clara Schumann, [they] have informed this revised edition and enriched my understanding and admi- ration of this remarkable woman" (p. ix). The result is an enlarged and improved ver-

American composer did something origi- nal, the critics (especially in America) ei- ther dismissed it as noise or called it an imitation of some European like Schoen- berg or Hindemith. (p. 8)

Perhaps this is why Cowell's "reviews" or commentaries on his contemporaries' mu- sical ideas are so important. Cowell's open- minded advocacy and his intriguing de- scriptions of modern and experimental American music helped wean audiences from preemptive, tradition-based judg- ments and freed composers to broaden their horizons. Essential Cowell is a conve- nient, enlightening, and readable volume. As the only such compilation of Cowell's writings, it assumes an undeniably impor- tant position in music literature.

JENNIFER DELAPP University of Maryland

Clara Schumann: The Artist and the Woman. By Nancy B. Reich. Revised ed. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2001. [xxvii, 385 p. ISBN 0-8014- 3740-7. $50 (hbk.); ISBN 0-8014-8637- 8. $21.95 (pbk.).] Illustrations, catalog of works, bibliography, index.

In the preface to the first edition of her landmark biography of Clara Schumann (1985), Nancy B. Reich stated, "In seeking a modern approach to this great artist, I have examined new sources and reexam- ined old. This study has deepened my re- gard for the artist and the woman; it has also convinced me that she is worthy of the truth" (p. xii). The quest for historical truth was evident throughout the book, as the author provided a more thorough, well- rounded, and realistic portrait of this com- plex woman than had been available up to that time. The impetus for a revised edition was not a reinterpretation of this portrait, but rather the availability of new sources of documentation that she was unable to use in preparing the first edition. Of these new sources, Reich states, "though they did not change my basic conceptions of the charac- ter and personality of Clara Schumann, [they] have informed this revised edition and enriched my understanding and admi- ration of this remarkable woman" (p. ix). The result is an enlarged and improved ver-

sion of an excellent study with many of the same strengths and weaknesses as its prede- cessor. Foremost among the strengths is the delineation of Schumann's character. While pointing out the overwhelming chal- lenges and devastating losses that dogged her entire life, Reich makes no attempt to paint her as a saint or hero. In her "warts and all" approach, she repeatedly reminds the reader that Clara was plain in appear- ance (in contrast to the engravings that have graced a recent stamp and DM 100 bill in Germany), blunt in speech, and oc- casionally irascible (as with Ferdinand Hiller when she received a basket of flowers in lieu of payment for a concert in Diissel- dorf [pp. 161-62] or with Johannes Brahms throughout their long and rocky friend- ship). Rather than offer easy answers to questions such as why Clara visited Robert only once during his two and one-half years in the asylum at Endenich or why she gave her children so little of her time and atten- tion, Reich uses these issues to show the conflicting aspects of her personality. Though the author clearly admires her sub- ject, this admiration is the result of under- standing and acceptance of her human frailties as well as her strengths.

The principal strategy by which Reich il- luminates Clara's personality is the exami- nation of her relationships to others. In this she is following the lead of previous bi- ographers who have concentrated almost exclusively on her relationships to her fa- ther Friedrich Wieck, her husband Robert, and her close friend Brahms. Reich brings new depth to our understanding of Clara's relationships, particularly the one with her father. Reich recognizes the complexity of his character and resists the temptation to portray him as a two-dimensional villain. Her willingness to show Clara's ambiva- lence toward her father allows us to recog- nize both the debt that she owed him and the price that she paid for his obsessive control. The relationship with Robert is also given new depth, as Reich illustrates both the mutual devotion and the uncom- fortable rivalry of their lives together. Turning to the relationship with Brahms, she avoids the sort of "spirited speculation and even malicious gossip" (p. 169) that have characterized previous discussions of this friendship, concentrating instead on "the musical and personal interaction be-

sion of an excellent study with many of the same strengths and weaknesses as its prede- cessor. Foremost among the strengths is the delineation of Schumann's character. While pointing out the overwhelming chal- lenges and devastating losses that dogged her entire life, Reich makes no attempt to paint her as a saint or hero. In her "warts and all" approach, she repeatedly reminds the reader that Clara was plain in appear- ance (in contrast to the engravings that have graced a recent stamp and DM 100 bill in Germany), blunt in speech, and oc- casionally irascible (as with Ferdinand Hiller when she received a basket of flowers in lieu of payment for a concert in Diissel- dorf [pp. 161-62] or with Johannes Brahms throughout their long and rocky friend- ship). Rather than offer easy answers to questions such as why Clara visited Robert only once during his two and one-half years in the asylum at Endenich or why she gave her children so little of her time and atten- tion, Reich uses these issues to show the conflicting aspects of her personality. Though the author clearly admires her sub- ject, this admiration is the result of under- standing and acceptance of her human frailties as well as her strengths.

The principal strategy by which Reich il- luminates Clara's personality is the exami- nation of her relationships to others. In this she is following the lead of previous bi- ographers who have concentrated almost exclusively on her relationships to her fa- ther Friedrich Wieck, her husband Robert, and her close friend Brahms. Reich brings new depth to our understanding of Clara's relationships, particularly the one with her father. Reich recognizes the complexity of his character and resists the temptation to portray him as a two-dimensional villain. Her willingness to show Clara's ambiva- lence toward her father allows us to recog- nize both the debt that she owed him and the price that she paid for his obsessive control. The relationship with Robert is also given new depth, as Reich illustrates both the mutual devotion and the uncom- fortable rivalry of their lives together. Turning to the relationship with Brahms, she avoids the sort of "spirited speculation and even malicious gossip" (p. 169) that have characterized previous discussions of this friendship, concentrating instead on "the musical and personal interaction be-

632 632

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Book Reviews Book Reviews

tween them" (p. 169). Though many of the source materials are no longer extant, she uses the surviving documents to show Clara's intense interest in Brahms's works and the many ways in which she helped him with his career.

The relational approach is not limited to reassessing these three central relation- ships, for Reich also casts new light on Clara's relationships with her mother and children, noting that "female influences, even in the lives of prominent women, are usually overlooked" (p. xv). There are sepa- rate sections-some of them quite lengthy -on her relationships with other contem- porary musicians, notably Friedric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Felix Mendelssohn, and Joseph Joachim. The discussion of these relationships gives the reader important insights into the polemics of conservative versus progressive com- posers in late-nineteenth-century Germany, a story that has most often been told by advocates of the progressive composers.

Perhaps it is natural, in the context of Reich's emphasis on relationships rather than individual accomplishments, that Clara's compositions were given relatively little attention in the first edition. While the new edition adds little to the analysis or critical discussion of the music, the catalog of works has been expanded significantly from ten pages in the first edition to forty- nine in the revised edition. There is exten- sive information regarding compositional history, performances, reviews, autographs, and modern editions, but no discography.

The revised edition leaves intact the structure of the first edition, which does not follow any of the conventional formats found in musical biographies. Because Berthold Litzmann's three volume, 1,459- page biography was such a thorough study of the subject's life (Clara Schumann, ein Kiinstlerleben, nach Tagebiichern und Briefen, [Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hartel, 1902; reprint, Clara Schumann an Artist's Life, Based on Material Found in Diaries and Letters, 2 vols., trans. and abr. Grace E. Hadow (1913; New York: Da Capo, 1979)]), Reich chose instead to limit the first half of her biography to a relatively short chronologi- cal treatment, followed by five chapters on various "Themes from the Life of Clara Schumann." In fact, the final chapter of section 1, entitled "The Later Years," dis-

tween them" (p. 169). Though many of the source materials are no longer extant, she uses the surviving documents to show Clara's intense interest in Brahms's works and the many ways in which she helped him with his career.

The relational approach is not limited to reassessing these three central relation- ships, for Reich also casts new light on Clara's relationships with her mother and children, noting that "female influences, even in the lives of prominent women, are usually overlooked" (p. xv). There are sepa- rate sections-some of them quite lengthy -on her relationships with other contem- porary musicians, notably Friedric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Felix Mendelssohn, and Joseph Joachim. The discussion of these relationships gives the reader important insights into the polemics of conservative versus progressive com- posers in late-nineteenth-century Germany, a story that has most often been told by advocates of the progressive composers.

Perhaps it is natural, in the context of Reich's emphasis on relationships rather than individual accomplishments, that Clara's compositions were given relatively little attention in the first edition. While the new edition adds little to the analysis or critical discussion of the music, the catalog of works has been expanded significantly from ten pages in the first edition to forty- nine in the revised edition. There is exten- sive information regarding compositional history, performances, reviews, autographs, and modern editions, but no discography.

The revised edition leaves intact the structure of the first edition, which does not follow any of the conventional formats found in musical biographies. Because Berthold Litzmann's three volume, 1,459- page biography was such a thorough study of the subject's life (Clara Schumann, ein Kiinstlerleben, nach Tagebiichern und Briefen, [Leipzig: Breitkopf und Hartel, 1902; reprint, Clara Schumann an Artist's Life, Based on Material Found in Diaries and Letters, 2 vols., trans. and abr. Grace E. Hadow (1913; New York: Da Capo, 1979)]), Reich chose instead to limit the first half of her biography to a relatively short chronologi- cal treatment, followed by five chapters on various "Themes from the Life of Clara Schumann." In fact, the final chapter of section 1, entitled "The Later Years," dis-

penses with the chronological narrative as well, focusing instead on a series of topics germane to her later life. The result is a bi- ography that does a remarkable job of illu- minating Clara's personality and ideas but leaves the novice confused as to basic facts of chronology, especially in the last forty years of Clara's life. Though surely not Reich's intention, it is precisely at the death of Robert that the chronological narrative is abandoned, leaving the reader in the dark about the least-known portion of her life.

The revised edition is enhanced by sev- eral additional photographs, including a daguerreotype of Clara and her daughter Marie dating from ca. 1845, and an 1855 photograph of six of the Schumann chil- dren. The bibliography gives a comprehen- sive list of published and unpublished sources relating to every facet of Clara's life. The index is thorough, well organized, and easy to use.

The 1985 edition of this book won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and has gained acceptance as a standard resource on Clara Schumann. This revised edition preserves the strengths of the first edition while adding additional information and a fine-tuning of the presentation, assuring that Reich's work will remain central to the subject for the foreseeable future.

E. DOUcGAS BOMBERGER University of Hawaii

Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Life (1887- 1959). By David P. Appleby. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002. [xx, 201 p. ISBN 0-8108-4149-5. $39.95.] Illustra- tions, bibliography, index.

"Tupi or not Tupi?" So queried the Brazilian writer Oswald de Andrade in his "Anthropophagous Statement" of 1928, which held that Brazilians should not merely imitate European culture but digest it on their own terms, like the Tupi Indians who ate their European prisoners so as to absorb their power (cited in John King, Sur: A Study of the Argentine Litera'y Journal and Its Role in the Development of a Culture, 1931-1970 [Cambridge: Cambridge Univer- sity Press, 1986], 19). Heitor Villa-Lobos's long career can be seen as a multifaceted response to Andrade's quip. Highly regarded

penses with the chronological narrative as well, focusing instead on a series of topics germane to her later life. The result is a bi- ography that does a remarkable job of illu- minating Clara's personality and ideas but leaves the novice confused as to basic facts of chronology, especially in the last forty years of Clara's life. Though surely not Reich's intention, it is precisely at the death of Robert that the chronological narrative is abandoned, leaving the reader in the dark about the least-known portion of her life.

The revised edition is enhanced by sev- eral additional photographs, including a daguerreotype of Clara and her daughter Marie dating from ca. 1845, and an 1855 photograph of six of the Schumann chil- dren. The bibliography gives a comprehen- sive list of published and unpublished sources relating to every facet of Clara's life. The index is thorough, well organized, and easy to use.

The 1985 edition of this book won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award and has gained acceptance as a standard resource on Clara Schumann. This revised edition preserves the strengths of the first edition while adding additional information and a fine-tuning of the presentation, assuring that Reich's work will remain central to the subject for the foreseeable future.

E. DOUcGAS BOMBERGER University of Hawaii

Heitor Villa-Lobos: A Life (1887- 1959). By David P. Appleby. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002. [xx, 201 p. ISBN 0-8108-4149-5. $39.95.] Illustra- tions, bibliography, index.

"Tupi or not Tupi?" So queried the Brazilian writer Oswald de Andrade in his "Anthropophagous Statement" of 1928, which held that Brazilians should not merely imitate European culture but digest it on their own terms, like the Tupi Indians who ate their European prisoners so as to absorb their power (cited in John King, Sur: A Study of the Argentine Litera'y Journal and Its Role in the Development of a Culture, 1931-1970 [Cambridge: Cambridge Univer- sity Press, 1986], 19). Heitor Villa-Lobos's long career can be seen as a multifaceted response to Andrade's quip. Highly regarded

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