The end of the song? Robert Schumann's focal dystonia
This chapter focuses on Robert Schumann, one of the most prominent composers of the early romantic period. Early in his adolescence he displayed extraordinary skills in piano playing and attempted to become a concert pianist. After an initial success, however, he developed a focal, task-specific dystonia of the right hand, also referred to as pianist's cramp. This disorder is characterised by a painless loss of skilled motor control in a task-specific context. Risk factors for developing musician's dystonia are male gender, extensive cumulative practice time, extreme motor workload concerning the temporal and spatial quality of the affected movements and personality traits such as proneness to anxiety and perfectionism. All these factors can be demonstrated in Robert Schumann's early life.
Keywords: Robert Schumann, pianist, focal dystonia, pianist's cramp, motor control
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