{"product_id":"madame-composer-the-virtuosic-genius-of-clara-schumann-9798897101887","title":"Madame Composer: The Virtuosic Genius of Clara Schumann","description":"\u003cb\u003eA triumphant and striking portrait of a cultural icon who changed the course of music history, and an invitation to reconsider artistic legacies.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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 twelve and brought Bach fugues and Beethoven sonatas into the concert hall at sixteen. During her sixty-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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhy is her name not uttered in the breath as Liszt, Brahms, or Mozart today? In \u003ci\u003eMadame\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eComposer, \u003c\/i\u003eSarah Fritz reveals how and why Clara Weick Schumann, a giant of Romantic music, has been diminished and sometimes deliberately obscured. By exposing the Nazi propaganda which 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\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 forty-year relationship with Brahms is one of the most important artist-mentor partnerships in cultural history yet has long been relegated to tabloid scandal. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFilled with new discoveries and insight, Sarah Fritz's fierce and dynamic \u003ci\u003eMadame Composer \u003c\/i\u003eis the definitive biography on a singular musical force and reveals Clara as a woman in full.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pegasus Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/29\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798897101887\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.93lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/15\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/17\/2026 pg. 1\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Sarah Fritz","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52933979635893,"sku":"9798897101887","price":29.75,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/madame-composer-the-virtuosic-genius-of-clara-schumann-9798897101887","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}