Google Doodle Celebrates Influential 19th Century Pianist Clara Schumann

Google is celebrating the birthday of famed 19th century pianist and composer Clara Schumann. She is one of the most notable pianists of the period, a period not lacking in talent by any means, also having one of the longest if not the longest careers, spanning six decades.

She was declared a child prodigy at age nine and continued to perform almost up until her death at age 76.

She was also a noted piano teacher creating many of the techniques that would change piano playing since that era.

What is also remarkable for the time was that she was a very independent woman. She was the main breadwinner in the household at first due to her husband's, the also famed composer Robert Schumann, mental instability.

He died when she was only 36 and she continued to support her numerous children and several of her grandchildren after that.