How did Schumann champion new music?
I founded the 'Neue Zeitschrift für Musik' with a fervent desire to bring forth new artistic truths. It was a platform to speak out against the stale conventions and to champion those who possessed genuine genius. Imagine, 'Hats off, gentlemen—a genius!' when I first encountered certain works. I saw it as my duty to guide the public's ear toward the fresh, the bold, the deeply felt. My aim was to cultivate a more discerning musical sensibility, one that appreciated the 'secret affinities' between different artistic expressions and recognized the 'poetic idea' in every significant new voice.
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