Clara Schumann at the age of nine, Clara Wieck performed at the Leipzig home of Dr. Ernst Carus, director of the mental hospital at Colditz Castle. There, she met another gifted young pianist who had been invited to the musical evening, Robert Schumann, who was nine years older. Schumann admired Clara's playing so much that he asked permission from his mother to stop studying law, which had never interested him much, and take music lessons with Clara's father. While taking lessons, he rented a room in the Wieck household, staying about a year. He would sometimes dress up as a ghost and
Marie Wieck Marie Wieck Marie Wieck (January 17, 1832 – November 2, 1916) was a German pianist, singer, piano teacher, and composer. She was the daughter of renowned piano teacher Friedrich Wieck, and the sister of Clara Schumann who was some 12 years older. Marie was born in Leipzig. She was trained from an early age in piano and voice by her father Friedrich. Marie's first public appearance was in 1842, when she and her sister Clara performed at a concert in Dresden. She later performed with her father at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. An eminent singer and pianist, Wieck sang in