On a fall night in 1828, an ornate glass carriage pulled up outside of the famous concert hall in Leipzig, Germany.

The door opened. This little girl climbed out.

And she was sobbing.

This was at the Kavown House.

These spot in town, the biggest stars of classical music had played there, Mozart,

Weber, you name it. That night the place was packed with the town's elite,

eager to see a new performer. And up those stairs went this little girl wiping at her tears.

There had been a dreadful mistake.

The wrong carriage had picked her up at home and now she was late and her father was impatiently waiting for her.

When she got to him she was shaken, nervous and still crying. He told her to calm down.

He needed her to pull it together. And she did. Nine-year-old Clara Schuman walked out

onto the stage. The I'm Jade Simmons and this is Decomposed. We bring you the stories that have shaped classical music, the heartbreaks, the

betrayals, and the acts of sheer genius that changed everything. I'm a

pianist and composer, I've played all over over the world but I didn't start at the piano until I was eight

Which is like over the hill in the world of classical music sounds crazy, but it's true People in most careers don't start in preschool, but in my industry, it's expected.

And it's been that way for centuries. You've heard the stories.

You've heard the stories.

Mozart at a piano at three.

Beethoven performing at 7, Chopin already composing full scores by that age.

A name that doesn't get mentioned often in that conversation.

Clara Schuman. If you're thinking Schuman, I know that name.

You're probably thinking of Robert Schuman, her husband.

...