ABSTRACT
Being one of the most significant composers of the nineteenth century, an influential music journalist, as well as the husband to one of the leading concert pianists of that time, there is no doubt that Robert Schumann’s life was a life in music. In his late teens, however, Schumann was not at all convinced that music was the only art form in which he excelled. In his own opinion, poetry was equally a strength. During this period, his primary source of inspiration was the German writer Jean Paul Richter, whose flowery style made a lasting mark on Schumann’s approach to composition. While music eventually became Schumann’s profession, the influence of Jean Paul was significant enough to a degree that caused him to later claim that this writer had taught him ‘more about counterpoint’ than any music teacher ever did. 1
