Robert Schumann was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber groups, orchestra, choir and the opera. His works typify the spirit of the Romantic era in German music. June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856; died at 46. Alive at the same time as Karl Marx, Abraham Lincoln, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Darwin, and Napoleon. Wiki link