The Zwinger Palace

Dresden is the capital city of the Eastern German Land of Saxony, and lies on the river Elbe some 100 miles south of Berlin. Once described as "Florence on the Elbe", and one of Europe's most beautiful cities, Dresden was almost completely destroyed in World War II. The city has always enjoyed a musical reputation, and saw the first performance of several operas by Richard Strauss. Wagner and Weber also conducted operas there.

Robert and Clara Schumann's expectations of a fresh start in Dresden, where they arrived from Leipzig in 1844, were not fulfilled. Dresden's musical life was centred on the Royal Court, and was ruled by convention and governed by Court protocol. Schumann had no direct dealings with the Court and soon became frustrated by the provincial attitudes which were not conducive to artistic enterprise. At this period Wagner was Dresden's most important musical figure, but such was the two composers' dislike of each other's music and personalities that, despite living almost next door, their only encounter was a few remarks written in their literary criticisms.
By 1847 Schumann had become conductor of a male-voice choir which gave regular performances that often included works he had written specially for them. It was in Dresden that he composed one of his best-known piano suites, Album for the Young, inspired  by the birth of four of his children during the years 1845-1849.
Health problems recurred during the Dresden years, and soon began to take their toll on Schumann's creative output, marking the beginning of the decline from which he only occasionally showed signs of recovery. However, the Dresden period had some remarkable achievements: the 2nd symphony (1846), the completion of the Piano Concerto in A minor (perhaps his best known work), many of the song cycles, and a burst of creativity in 1849 which produced over 30 compositions - more than in any other year in his life (see chart).
It was also during this period that Schumann embarked upon an intensive study of Bach, a composer whom he had long venerated. A project to publish a complete edition of Bach's works (hitherto mostly unpublished), begun in 1850 on the anniversary of Bach's death, owed much of it's impetus to Schumann.

Dissatisfied with the musical life in Dresden, and unable to secure posts of responsibility in either Vienna or Leipzig, Schumann accepted a new appointment of musical directorship in Düsseldorf, to where he and Clara moved in 1850.