Clara Schumann’s 193rd birthday inspires Google Doodle

13 Sep 2012

The Google Doodle in honour of pianist Clara Schumann

Romantic pianist Clara Schumann is being honoured today on what would have been her 193rd birthday with a Google Doodle.

The internet search giant’s latest stylised Google logo in its homepage features a drawing of Schumann surrounded by eight children, with piano keys before them.

Clara Josephine Wieck was born 13 September 1819, in Leipzig, Germany, and began playing music as a child. At the age of 11, she held her first solo concert at the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

In 1840, she married composer Robert Schumann.

Schumann, the mother of eight children, has been considered one of the most accomplished pianists of the Romantic era, having had a concert career that spanned 61 years.

She is credited for changing the piano recital’s format and repertoire, and was the first pianist to publicly perform some of Brahm’s works.

Clara Schumann died on 20 May 1896, at the age of 76, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic

editorial@siliconrepublic.com