A Day of Thinking About a Human Life While Listening to Schumann - What a Discarded CD Taught Me - July 23, 2026 (Thu) Reiwa 8

Today, I listened to Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54, one of the CDs I received from the rehabilitation room.

A few days ago, another CD I had found introduced me to The Girl from Ipanema, and it made me imagine the beautiful beaches of Brazil.

This time, however, I entered a completely different world.

At first, I simply thought, "What a magnificent piece of music." Then I watched an orchestral performance on YouTube.

As I learned more about the concerto, I discovered that it was dedicated to Schumann's wife, Clara Schumann. I also learned that they had overcome her father's strong opposition and even went to court in order to marry.

That made me wonder.

After fighting so hard to be together, were they able to live happily ever after?

As I continued reading, I found that they had eight children.

Clara was not only one of the world's greatest pianists but also a devoted mother who supported her family.

Meanwhile, Schumann created many masterpieces as a composer, yet struggled with mental illness and spent the final years of his life in a care facility.

I am not an artist.

Still, I feel I can understand, at least a little, the struggles of people who create something new.

As a teacher, I created lessons. As an acupuncturist, I cared for my patients. And now, I write every day.

Whenever we try to create something meaningful, we must also face ourselves.

Perhaps that struggle is something people share, regardless of their profession.

In my mid-forties, I also went through a difficult period because of illness and the pressures of work.

At that time, even music could not reach my heart.

No matter what I listened to, I felt nothing.

That is why I now find it both remarkable and deeply comforting that I can listen to music while reflecting on the life of a composer.

A single CD had been left in the rehabilitation room, unnoticed by everyone else.

It first took me to the beaches of Brazil, and today it carried me into the lives of Robert and Clara Schumann in nineteenth-century Germany.

Music is not only something beautiful to hear.

When we learn about the lives of the people behind the music, a single piece can touch us far more deeply.

That is what today's CD quietly taught me.

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