Becoming Clara Schumann

"One of the strengths of Stefaniak's book is that he presents Schumann as a professional musician who pursued a career, not simply as a Romantic artist, and it is in this sense that he refutes some of the myths that still inform our view of her."—David Ferris, author of Schumann's Eichendorff Liederkreis and the Genre of the Romantic Cycle

"A valuable exploration of Romantic aesthetics and the contributions of female musicians, Becoming Clara Schumann traces Clara Schumann's transformative role in shaping an expanded notion of canonicity, one centered in performance. Through engaging prose, Stefaniak reveals in astonishing detail Schumann's sensitivity to repertoire and tradition, and shows how the classics and especially husband Robert's music gained prestige over her career."—Marcia J. Citron, author of Gender and the Musical Canon

"Intricately interweaving musical and historical narratives and meticulously excavating little-explored documents, Becoming Clara Schumann significantly expands and deepens our understanding of the roles of performativity in nineteenth-century culture and aesthetics."—Jeffrey Kallberg, University of Pennsylvania

"Stefaniak's original, humane, and intellectually capacious book deepens our understandings of canon formation in the second half of the 19th century, of Clara Schumann's powerful role in that process, and of the fascinatingly porous boundaries between performance and composition."—Mary Hunter, A. Leroy Greason Professor of Music Emerita, Bowdoin College

"The book succeeds . . . by discussing the material world and practices of classical music. In setting forth concrete details and eschewing the hyperbolic and metaphoric, Stefaniak brings classical music back to life."—M. Dineen, University of Ottawa, School of Music, Choice

"Engaging eloquently with wide-ranging scholarship, pluralistic primary source materials, concert touring strategies, and programming and compositional practices, Stefaniak offers a fascinating, holistic look into Clara Schumann's canonical legacy."—April Prince, Notes