Schumann
The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius Peter Ostwald
Northeastern University Press
1985 • 392 pp. 19 illus. 6 x 9" Biography - Musicians & Composers
$35.00 Paperback, 978-1-55553-014-3
“Schumann is a remarkable piece of work. The author obviously loves the composer's music and writes about him—and Clara too—with compassion and understanding. . . Soberly and objectively, it unearths information that no previous Schumann research—in English, at least—has come near duplicating.”—Harold C. Schonberg, New York Times Book Review
Reviews:
“One is struck by the near-clinical approach taken in this biography. At times it reads like a medical report, as the most personal and painful details of this great artist [are] under the. . . light of scientific scrutiny. It is an interesting approach to studying Robert Schumann, the passionate and hyper-emotional genius who typified the romantic era of classical music.”—Quarterly Notes
“[A] worthy addition to your bookshelf. . . Ostwald’s medical and musical credentials are first-rate. His book often reads like a doctor’s report on a particularly interesting ‘cast,’ but it also explores the music in illuminating ways and relates it to the downward trajectory of Schumann’s mental state.”—American Record Guide
