Symphony No. 1 (Schumann) Symphony No. 1 (Schumann) The Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 38, also known as the Spring Symphony, is the first symphonic work composed by Robert Schumann. Although he had made some "symphonic attempts" in the autumn of 1840 soon after he married Clara Wieck, he did not compose his first symphony until early 1841. Until then, Schumann was largely known for his works for the piano and for voice. Clara encouraged him to write symphonic music, noting in her diary, "it would be best if he composed for orchestra; his imagination cannot find sufficient scope on the piano...
Clara Westhoff Clara Westhoff Clara Westhoff (21 September 1878 in Bremen – 9 March 1954 in Fischerhude), also known as "Clara Rilke" or "Clara Rilke-Westhoff" was a German sculptor and the wife of poet Rainer Maria Rilke. At the early age of 17, Clara Westhoff went to Munich, where she attended a private art school. In 1898, she moved to Worpswede and learned sculpture with Fritz Mackensen. She continued her studies in 1899 with Carl Seffner and Max Klinger in Leipzig, and in 1900 with Auguste Rodin in Paris, also attending the Académie Colarossi. In 1901, she married the poet Rainer Maria