A Schumann Mania?

[Gary Freedman]

Do you ever get in one of those moods where you can't stop listening to the music of Robert Schumann? I'm in one of those moods, one of those Schumann moods, right now. I've been in a Schumann mood for weeks now. It comes and goes with me. I remember back to the summer of 2004, I couldn't stop listening to Schumann's piano music, particularly Carnaval and the Humoresque.

You know, Schumann is believed to have suffered from manic depression. He had mood swings. He lived through periods of suicidal, despairing depression. Then he entered manic states. Is it possible that in some way he encoded mania into his music? Is it possible that listening to Schumann's music can push someone over the top into a manic state, particularly a person who is already disposed to manic states? I wonder if that's possible.

It may be that I suffer from Schumann-induced mania. All I know is that I can't stop listening to his music. I can't stop hearing his music echo in my mind. I can hear it right now, as I type this blog post. It's maddening!

[Gary Freedman]

Charles Rosen (born May 5, 1927) is an American pianist and author on music.

In his youth Charles Rosen studied piano with Moriz Rosenthal. Rosenthal, born in 1862, had been a student of Franz Liszt. Rosenthal's memories of the 19th century in classical music were communicated to his pupil and appear frequently in Rosen's later writings.

[Gary Freedman]