Robt. Schumann : The Story of the Boy Who Made Pictures in Music

Robert Schumann’s musical imagination appeared early. As a lively boy growing up in Zwickau, Germany, he filled his days with piano playing, reading, writing little dramas, and performing them with friends on a stage his father built at home. He even entertained his companions by turning people into musical portraits, capturing the way a farmer walked or a familiar person moved and spoke.

This engaging introduction to his life follows the experiences that shaped his decision to become a musician, from the music-making in his family to a performance that opened his eyes to the possibilities of the piano. Along the way, young listeners encounter the playful scenes and vivid characters that inspired his compositions: rocking horses, sleepy children, make-believe soldiers, fireside gatherings, and songs heard in church. Designed as a child’s own musical biography, it combines simple storytelling with prompts to imagine, listen, and connect music with pictures, people, and everyday life.