Both Schumann and Mendelssohn are highly popular composers essentially
born at the same time.  But, which composer wrote better music?:

Solo Piano Works - Schumann has a huge advantage here.  He's likely
one of the four or five most masterful composers for solo piano; all
of Mendelssohn's solo compositions could disappear and most folks would
hardly notice (I wouldn't) - 3 points for Schumann.

Chamber Works - Not a strong suit for either composer.  Personally, I
enjoy Schumann's works, but I can't deny that they are not very memorable.
Mendelssohn's chamber works, including the octet, are on a par with
Schumann's - Draw.

Concertos - Each composer has his "great" concerto - the remainder are
forgettable - Draw.

Symphonies - I much prefer Schumann's, but the Mendelssohn symphonies
certainly are very popular.  Also, there are those early string symphonies
which are nice - 1 point for Mendelssohn.

Vocal works - A healthy advantage for Schumann based on his lieder.
Neither composer was stunning when it came to vocal works with orchestra;
Mendelssohn's best effort was in tinkering with Bach's Passion - 2 points
for Schumann.

The clear winner in a ten round decision is Schumann.  How did that happen?

Don Satz
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