Clara Schumann was a German pianist and composer widely considered one of the most brilliant performers of the Romantic era, and one of the first concert pianists to perform entire programs from memory, without sheet music — a practice that later became standard. She toured Europe as a celebrated concert pianist for over 60 years while also composing her own music and raising eight children, all while married to composer Robert Schumann. She helped shape how audiences understood and performed the works of great Romantic composers.