{"product_id":"madame-composer-the-virtuosic-genius-of-clara-schumann-fritz","title":"Madame Composer: The Virtuosic Genius of Clara Schumann, Fritz","description":"\u003cp\u003eA child prodigy equal to Mozart, Paganini called her a “genuine artist;” Goethe said “she plays with the strength of six boys.” She premiered the “unplayable” works of Chopin at age 12 and brought Bach fugues and Beethoven sonatas into the concert hall at sixteen. During her 60-year career, she made Robert Schumann a household name and premiered Brahms’s famous “Lullaby.” Many critics — who dubbed her “Saint Cecilia,” “queen of the piano” and a “priestess of art” — preferred her piano playing to her rival Franz Liszt.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy is her name not uttered in the same breath as Liszt, Brahms or Mozart today? In \u003cem\u003eMadame Composer\u003c\/em\u003e, Sarah Fritz reveals how and why Clara Wieck Schumann, a giant of Romantic music, has been diminished and sometimes deliberately obscured. By exposing the Nazi propaganda that buried Clara Schumann’s achievements, the power Clara once wielded in the industry comes to the fore. Fritz exposes the truth behind why Clara devoted her career to promoting men’s works instead of her own creations, even though her melodies were quoted in famous works by Brahms, Liszt and others, which is revealed in print for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClara’s life was more fascinating than fiction. A neurodivergent child, she shared a forbidden love with the poor composer Robert Schumann, whose tragic death in an asylum left her a single parent of seven children. And her 40-year relationship with Brahms is one of the most important artist-mentor partnerships in cultural history, yet has long been relegated to tabloid scandal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFilled with new discoveries and insight, Sarah Fritz’s fierce and dynamic \u003cem\u003eMadame Composer\u003c\/em\u003e is the definitive biography of a singular musical force and reveals Clara as a woman in full.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSarah Fritz\u003c\/strong\u003e is a musicologist, mezzo-soprano and music historian who’s contributed to \u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e, given preconcert talks for the Philadelphia Orchestra and appears in the PBS documentary, \u003cem\u003eMozart’s Sister\u003c\/em\u003e. She runs the Clara Schumann Channel platform, dedicated to educating the public about women composers, and performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Symphonic Choir, including an appearance in the choir scene of the movie \u003cem\u003eMaestro\u003c\/em\u003e. Fritz teaches on the faculty of the Westminster Conservatory in Princeton, New Jersey.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Simon and Schuster","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46927599370436,"sku":"210000067203","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0573\/7014\/9060\/files\/fivzwmlzjiuhsqm7vtul.jpg?v=1791119476","url":"https:\/\/symphonystore.com\/de\/products\/madame-composer-the-virtuosic-genius-of-clara-schumann-fritz","provider":"The Symphony Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}