I cannot give a single concert at which I do not play one piece after the other in an agony of terror because my memory threatens to fail me. This fear torments me for days beforehand.

As Clara Schumann grew older however Clara Schumann lost confidence in herself as a composer writing "I once believed that I possessed creative talent but I have given up this idea; a woman must not desire to compose — there has never yet been one able to do it. 6 (1. 1834· Walzer fűr Gesang und Klavier.

She and her husband encouraged Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann was the first pianist to give public performances of some of Brahms' works notably the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel. Her husband was the composer Robert Schumann. She exerted her influence over a 61-year concert career changing the format and repertoire of the piano recital and the tastes of the listening public.