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1854 (aged 44) 17 February Schumann writes down a
theme that he claims the angels have sung to him. He
suffers bouts of panic and hallucinations.
27 February Robert throws himself into the Rhine from
the old Schiffsbrücke, the bridge that crosses the river
at Düsseldorf. This is a suicide attempt. The composer’s
life was saved by Harbourmaster Jungermann
who receives a medal. Robert is put under the care of
doctors and two male nurses. Clara leaves the house
to live with friends.
4 March At his own request Robert is transferred to the
asylum in Endenich, near Bonn. There he is placed
under the care of Dr Franz Richarz (1812–1887)
whose almost daily medical reports on Schumann’s
condition will be published only in 2006, thanks to
the composer Aribert Reimann who inherited these
confidential family papers and decided, after much
soul-searching, to publish them. These reports settle
once and for all, and despite various theories to the
contrary over many years, that Schumann was indeed
suffering from tertiary syphilis.
The composer is forbidden to see his wife. She is
desperately unhappy about this, but doctors advise
her that Robert’s health will be endangered. Brahms
moves to Düsseldorf, largely to be of help to Clara and
her family. He will stay there for two years.
11 June Birth of Felix Schumann (1854–1879), the
youngest son and last child.
July Robert sends a bouquet of flowers to Clara. He is
permitted to receive a letter from her in August and
replies in September. He writes more often to Clara,
heartbreaking letters for the reader. She finds that
these communications ‘tear open my wounds’. In
December Joachim visits the composer.
44
1855 (aged 45) and 1856 (aged 46) In the last years of
the composer’s life Robert sends Clara a succession of
increasingly sad and disoriented letters, although his
communications with Brahms, Joachim and Simrock
(who are permitted to visit him from time to time) are
a great deal clearer. In September 1855 Clara is told by
Dr Richarz that her husband’s condition is incurable.
As a Christmas present she sends him portraits of
Brahms and Joachim.
In January 1856 Schumann composes a fugue.
When Brahms visits him in April he is unable to
understand a word that Schumann says to him. For
Schumann’s birthday on 8 June Brahms takes the
composer the present of a giant Atlas (the composer
likes to plan imaginary journeys in his head from
place to place in alphabetical order). On that visit
Brahms is completely devastated by what he sees.
Clara, long forbidden by Dr Richarz to visit her
afflicted husband, sees him for the last time on 27
June between 6 and 7 in the evening. He smiles at her
and with the greatest difficulty puts his arm around
her—he can no longer easily move his limbs.
Looking at her with the greatest tenderness he says
‘My’, but cannot manage to say ‘Clara’. He says ‘I
know’ but cannot say ‘you’. For the next two days
Clara is by his side. He is never still and is in constant,
writhing torment. He has not eaten for days, but is
able to suck drops of wine from her finger.
Robert Schumann dies on 29 July 1856 and is
buried at Endenich on the evening of 31 July. Only
Clara, Brahms, Joachim and Ferdinand Hiller are at
the funeral. Clara Schumann dies almost forty years
later on 20 May 1896. Of her seven children, two—
Felix and Julie—predecease her. Her closest friend,
Johannes Brahms, survives her by less than eleven
months.
GRAHAM JOHNSON © 2010