Musical Mothers

Many thanks to mothers who nurture the music in their children.

#1. The oldest of musical mothers is Adah. She was Lamech's first wife and gave birth to Jubal, who "was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe." Jubal is nine generations removed from Adam. Genesis 4:20

#2. Mrs. Anna Magdalena Bach must hold the title for queen of the musical mothers. After J.S. Bach's first wife died, he married Anna Magdalena who birthed thirteen children, eight who died from an hour to five years. Of the children she reared to adulthood, she and her husband passed on their musical legacy to sons Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Johann Gottfried Bernhard Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, Johann Christian Bach, and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.(1) The last child was born in 1742, when Anna Magdalena was 41 (and Sebastian 57).(2)

Anna Magdalena Wilcken was a very gifted soprano, who even earned half the salary of her famous 16 year older Capellmeister and future husband Sebastian. Anna Magdalena was probably only 19 years old when she and her 35 year old boss fell for each other. They had been working together for more than a year when they finally got married on 3 December 1721.(1)

Their marriage was a happy one to which their common interest in music contributed. Johann Sebastian wrote a number of compositions dedicated to her, most notably the two Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. She also regularly helped him transcribe his music.

During the Bach family's time in Leipzig Anna Magdalena organized regular musical evenings featuring the whole family playing and singing together with visiting friends. The Bach house became a musical center in Leipzig.
After Bach's death in 1750, his sons came into conflict and moved on their separate ways. This left Anna Magdalena living alone with her two youngest daughters and her stepdaughter from her husband's first marriage. While they remained loyal to her, nobody else in the family helped economically. Anna Magdalena became increasingly dependent upon charity and handouts from the city council. She died on 22 February 1760. (3)

#3 Clara Schumann birthed eight children to Robert Schumann. Clara was born in Leipzig on September 13, 1819; died in Frankfurt on May 20, 1896. Robert Schumann was born in Zwickau on June 8, 1810 and after dying in the asylum at Endenich near Bonn on July 29, 1856, Clara continued to support her family through her own compositions and performances, and eventually a teaching position at the Frankfort Conservatory.

Clara's parents were Friedrich Wieck (1785-1873), a music teacher, and Marianne Tromlitz Wieck (Bargiel) (1797-1872), a soprano and student of Wieck; Clara's father had resolved before her birth that she would be a great musician and child prodigy. Her first public appearance was in 1828 (age 9); first complete piano recital in 1830 (age 11); first extended tour in 1831. She performed extensively and studied piano, voice, violin, instrumentation, score reading, counterpoint, composition; wrote and published several pieces for solo piano. (4)

Their children were: Marie (1841-1929), Elise (1843-1928), Julie (1845-72), Emil (1846-47), Ludwig (1848-99), Ferdinand (1849-91), Eugenie (1851-1938), Felix (1854-79). (5)

#4 Classical Musicians whose mothers gave them their first lessons (6):
Benjamin Britten
Max Bruch
Manuel de Falla
Charles Gounod
Jules Massenet
Felix Mendelssohn
Sergey Prokofiev
Robert Schumann

#5 My mother, Susan C. B. gave me my first lessons. Thanks mom!


(1.2.)http://www.jsbach.org/
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Magdalena_Wilcke
(4) http://www.fairbornonline.com/ScottPianoStudio/whowas.html
(5) http://www.geneva.edu/~dksmith/clara/bio.html
(6) Classical Composers by Peter Gammond. Colour Library Books Ltd., 1994.