If we try to imagine a 19th century Romantic artist, this person would have to be highly emotional, possess great talent, and also suffer from mental instability. The composer, Robert Schumann (1810–1849), was the perfect specimen. His was a difficult, but rich and fruitful life with a supporting cast almost as interesting as the composer himself. There was his wife, Clara, the most famous pianist of her time; Clara’s father and Schumann’s teacher, Frederick Wieck, a man of towering presence who was unnaturally bound to Clara, his best pupil; and Schumann’s amazing contemporaries and close friends, Felix Mendelsohn and Johannes Brahms. We will thoroughly investigate these many influences. And we will, of course, examine Schumann’s musical contribution with in-class performances of some of his greatest works. Our final discussion will return to a key topic of this seminar: Is madness a necessary component of the creative process?