“…. it’s too much contrast inside me!”

Clara Schumann (1819-1896) and Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) were linked by a friendship that lasted over forty years. Brahms supported Schumann in times of crisis, which she experienced during the loss of her husband Robert and through the early death of some of her children; she in turn advised him financially and artistically. For both of them, the focus was always on music: their compositions and the repertoire, to which they committed themselves against many odds.

Both were directly involved in the development of the music scene in the 19th century – a phase in which the fundamental mechanisms of today’s cultural industry developed. Saremba describes the changing music world, political events, and parallel inventions and social change.

Meinhard Saremba is a writer, musicological publicist and translator who lives in Mannheim.

In the series Local Monday