While celebrating Mother's Day I often think about mothers who decide to take up the challenging task of following their passions, and juggle their careers and home lives. Clara Schumann (1819-1896), famous German concert pianist, teacher and composer, is a great example.

Given the title “Royal and Imperial Virtuosa” by the Viennese Royalty in 1837, Clara Schumann was one of the few females in the 19th century who supported her children and family solely from performing artist honoraria and teaching career. She did not stop following her path despite many tragic events: losing her husband when she was 37, losing four out of their eight children, and becoming the only parent for some of their grandchildren.

Her concert career spanned 61 years, during which she influenced other musicians not only by performing works of her husband and Johannes Brahms, but also by transforming the format and repertoire of piano recitals, and affecting the tastes of her audiences. We have a record of 1300 of her piano recital programs - a fraction of what she had given throughout her life. Many students she taught carried her tradition of extraordinary technique and expression to schools abroad, most famously through Carl Friedberg to Juilliard School of Music in the US.

There were some sacrifices to be made. Some of her early works display Clara Schumann’s remarkable talent as a composer, and demonstrate the effort she put into studying Bach and other composers. However, most of her creative output happened before she married, and after Robert Schumann’s death she focused on editing, publishing and promoting his music. In her diary she expressed her frustration with not being able to find time to compose, and blaming it on her gender and its assigned societal roles. As her husband Robert put it "She cannot work at it regularly, and I am often disturbed to think how many profound ideas are lost because she cannot work them out."

Looking back at the past and admiring such industrious and accomplished women as Clara Schumann, I am reminded of many women who had the talent and decided not to follow their passion, or were not allowed to choose this path. I am hopeful when reading recent research which restores female artists' place in history. And I am encouraged by the work of current organizations focusing on promoting women output.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons: This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1926.