This research paper focusses on the context of Clara Wieck-Schumann’s Piano Concerto Op. 7 by surrounding it in ‘an historical network’. The paper draws on the works of Julian Horton, Benedict Taylor and Claudia MacDonald to address the problematic analysis of this piano concerto by Stephan Lindemann in his ‘Structural Novelty and Tradition in the Early Romantic Piano Concerto’, as understood through the context of deconstructing the deformational aspects of this piano concerto, a term coined by James Hepokoski and Warren Darcy. This contextual analysis is achieved through a discussion of Wieck-Schumann’s performing career, her relationship with her husband, Robert Schumann, and understanding the cultural influences on this work. There is a specific analytical focus on works by Ignaz Moscheles, Felix Mendelssohn, John Field, Frederic Chopin, and Louis Spohr, with the aim to discover the links between these works and the Op. 7.

Keywords
Piano concerto, contextual analysis, Clara Wieck-Schumann, John Field, Louis Spohr, Ignaz Moscheles, Felix Mendelssohn,  19^th-century studies, criticism.