Google honors German musician and composer Clara Schumann (née Clara Josephine Wieck) with a doodle depicting her with her 8 children in front of a piano. The google letters are formed within.
Just who this lady, you might ask? To those in the musical world, they would know exactly who Clara Schumann is. This piano virtuoso’s 193rd birthday was celebrated around the world with netizens all seeing the Doodle on their Google search engines.
Schumann’s love for music and family was so evident in the Doodle – I consider this as one of the most emotional Doodles I’ve seen. Clara Schumann, nee Wieck, was raised by her father. At the young age of 4, Schumann’s parents separated. It was her father who taught her how to play the piano – it was also her father who taught her husband, Robert, to play the instrument.
It was at the age of 8 when she met her would-be husband when she performed at the home of Dr. Ernst Carus in Leipzig. Schumann rose to popularity and earned her place in the European music scene as a child prodigy. She performed in various locations across the country including the Leipzig Gewandhaus and concert halls in Vienna. Wherever she performed, she left her audience entranced with her music.
She married Robert a day before her 21st birthday without her father’s permission. The spouses made music together and lived a happy live with their 8 children. This, however, was to end tragically, with several of her children passing before her. Her husband and one of her sons were also committed to an asylum where they both spent their last days.
Although Schumann lived most of her life making beautiful music, her last years were ironically spent in silence when she fell deaf. She eventually succumbed to a heart ailment, dying of a stroke at the age of 76. Today, her music still lives on as some of the most poignant musical expressions of all time.
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