Woldemar Bargiel Woldemar Bargiel Woldemar Bargiel (3 October 182823 February 1897) was a German composer. Bargiel was born in Berlin, and was the half brother of Clara Schumann. Bargiel’s father Adolph was a well-known piano and voice teacher while his mother Mariane had been unhappily married to Clara’s father, Friedrich Wieck. Clara was nine years older than Woldemar. Throughout their lives, they enjoyed a warm relationship. The initial opportunities which led to the success and recognition he enjoyed were due to Clara, who introduced him to both Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn. Bargiel received his first lessons at home and later with
Clara Schumann these recitals. Wieck performed to sell-out crowds and laudatory critical reviews; Benedict Randhartinger, a friend of Franz Schubert, gave Wieck an autographed copy of Schubert's "Erlkönig", inscribing it "To the celebrated artist, Clara Wieck." Frédéric Chopin described her playing to Franz Liszt, who came to hear one of Wieck's concerts and subsequently "praised her extravagantly in a letter that was published in the Parisian "Revue et Gazette Musicale" and later, in translation, in the Leipzig journal "Neue Zeitschrift für Musik"." On 15 March, Wieck was named a "Königliche und Kaiserliche Kammervirtuosin" ("Royal and Imperial Chamber Virtuoso"), Austria's highest musical honor.