# Franz Schubert - Composer of the Week, January 22, 2007



## Topaz

​*FRANZ PETER SCHUBERT: 1797 - 1828*

*
Early days (1797-1812) *

1. Franz Peter Schubert was born in Vienna on 31 January 1797. His parents were Franz Theodor Schubert (1763-1839), and his wife, Elisabeth Vietz (1756-1812).  The couple had 14 children but only five survived beyond infancy. Among these five, Franz Peter was the second youngest. Franz Theodor was a schoolteacher in a local school. The Schubert family was musical, with Franz Theodore playing the cello, and Franz's older brothers, Ignaz and Ferdinand, being violinists. They formed a string quartet in which young Franz played the viola. He received further musical instruction (counterpoint, singing, and keyboard) from Michael Holzer, choirmaster of the parish, although this was only of a limited nature. At the age of 11, Franz Peter passed an examination to enter a school known as "StadtKonvikt" run by Salieri, the composer, which trained choristers for the Imperial Court Chapel. He played the violin and studied counterpoint, and it was here that he began his first compositions dating from 1811.

*
Early Musical Career School Teaching Years (1813-1817)*

2. In 1813, at the age of 16, Franz Peter returned to his father's home from the chorister school. At this time, he composed his first symphony. Because his family was unable to support him, he was compelled to adopt a profession, and he chose teaching. Following a period of training, in late 1814 he took up a post in his father's school, but he was very miserable doing this work. In his spare time he received further composition guidance from Salieri. Over the next three years he wrote a phenomenal amount of music: a further five symphonies, four Masses, six operas, the first piano sonatas, four string quartets, and 270 songs. In 1816 Schubert planned to marry a Teresa Grob, whom he first met two years previously, but the authorities on the grounds of his poverty rejected his marriage licence application.

*Full-Time Composer (1818- 1821)*

3.	In early 1818, at the age of 21, he abandoned his financially secure career as a teacher and left the family home in order to devote himself completely to his music. He became friends with a number of admirers of his music, including the poet, Joseph von Spaun, a famous singer, Johann Michael Vogl (who was age 50 at that time), and several others including Franz Schober and two brothers Anselm Hüttenbrenner (who was a fellow composer) and Josef Hüttenbrenner. This group called themselves "Schubertians," and held frequent social evenings devoted to music, games, dancing and speeches - dubbed "Schubertiads". Schubert relied on these and other friends throughout his life for the provision of accommodation and financial and moral support.








4.	It was not long before Schubert began to acquire a good reputation among Viennese musicians, and in early 1818 he was proposed as the music teacher to the noble Esterházy family. From July of that year he was hired as the family music teacher at their country estate in Zelész, Hungary. His main students were the two daughters of the Count. In this post he had much leisure time and he used it for composition. However, he left the post after four months, and his reasons for doing so are understood to be the fact that the remote location of the Esterházy estate caused him to miss his friends and the musical environment of Vienna.

5.	Upon his return to Vienna in November 1818, he shared cramped living quarters with a friend, the poet Mayrhofer. Times were tough financially but matters slowly improved. He travelled to other parts of Austria with his singer friend and colleague, Michael Vogl, on musical tours. Vogl sang all of Schubert's songs and made them famous. Schubert wrote prolifically over the period 1819 - 1821, with major works including the Trout Quintet (in 1819), String Quartet No 12 "Quartettsatz" (D 703), and several operas such as "Die Zwillingsbrüder" and "Die Zauberharfe Lazaru" (1820-1821), and many more songs. In early 1822 the opera Alfonso und Estrella (D 732) was completed. Later that year he completed the Unfinished Symphony (D 759) and the Wanderer Fantasy (D 760). However, from all these activities, Schubert gained little financial reward, a feature that was to characterize all of his musical life, causing him to remain relatively poor and largely dependent on the continued hospitality and financial support of his friends. Picture below: Schubertiad.








*1822- 1826 Illness and Beyond*

6.	Towards the end of 1822 Schubert contracted syphilis in circumstances that remain uncertain. In early 1823 he was admitted to the Vienna general hospital for several weeks. During his stay he composed his first song-cycle Die Schöne Müllerin (D 795). His health suffered subsequently, given the lack of any effective remedies. Later in 1823 he wrote the opera "Fierrabras" (D 796), but it was not successful because of its poor libretti, and this caused much personal despair and disappointment given the considerable wasted effort. In 1824 he again stayed with the Esterhazy family in Zelész, and fell in love with Caroline Esterhazy, the 17 year old middle child. It seems unlikely that his feelings were reciprocated, and any further advances were probably stopped by the Esterhazy family either because they may have been aware of his disease or because of his lower social status, and relative poverty. During his six month stay, he composed the String Quartet No 13 in A minor (Rosamunde) (D 804), and the "Grand Duo" for piano duet (D 812).

7.	Upon his return to Vienna in late 1824, little is known of the personal aspects of this part of Schubert's life, except that he resumed his former "bohemian" life-style. He had a further spell in hospital in early 1825. Later in the year he began new travels around Austria with Vogl. A flow of further masterpieces was produced: Rosamund incidental music (D 797), the song cycle, Die Schöne Müllerin, the Octet D 803, String Quartet No 14 (Death and the Maiden) (D 810).








*1827 - 1828 Last Two Years *

8.	During 1827 he wrote more large-scale works: the piano trios, a further opera "Graf von Gleichen", the Moments Musicaux for piano, some of his most poignant individual lieder, and the truly magnificent song cycle, 'Die Winterreise' (A Winter's Journey). The latter is perhaps one of Schubert's greatest works. It is based on a setting of 24 poems by Wilhelm Müller concerning the story of a young man who, after being rejected by his lover, set off on a journey into a desolate winter wasteland, sinking deeper into despair with each song. This major work is sometimes seen as typifying the sad drama that Schubert could see unfolding in his own life.

9.	During 1828, the last year of Schubert's life, he remained very busy even through his worsening illness. He completed Symphony 9 in C Major ("The Great") (D 944) in early 1828. Work on this first began in 1825 and continued into 1826. This was clearly conceived on a grand scale, probably to match Beethoven's last symphony, but there is no record of it ever being performed at any stage in Schubert's lifetime. To this period also belongs various magnificent works: Mass 6 in E-flat (D 950), the C major String Quintet (D 956), the song cycle Schwanengesang (D 957) and the last three piano sonatas D 958, D 959, D 960.

10.	From September 1827, Schubert's health began to decline sharply. Debate is unsettled on whether Schubert realised that his death was imminent but he continued to work on his music. As an occasional alternative to composing, he developed an interest in the novels of James Fenimore Cooper. Some accounts suggest that he believed he might make a sufficient recovery to continue his composing. Alas, it was not to be. After battling with syphilis since 1822, he died at 3 pm on 19 November 1828, aged 31, at his bother Ferdinand's apartment in Vienna. The cause of death was possibly from typhoid fever or from mercury poisoning administered at various stages to deal with his syphilis.

11.	His dying, heartfelt wish was to be buried close to Beethoven. This wish was granted, and following his funeral at St Joseph's Church on 21 November he was buried in a grave beside that of Beethoven at the small Wahring cemetery. Both were transferred in September 1888 to the Musician's Grove of Honour in the newly-opened central cemetery Vienna. In the same cemetery, next to Beethoven and Schubert, lies Brahms. Franz Schubert's tombstone reads:

_"Music has here entombed a rich treasure, but still fairer hopes. Franz Schubert lies here. Born January 31, 1797. Died November 19, 1828. 31 years old." _​
*Appearance and Personal characteristics*

12.	Franz Peter Schubert was raised as a Roman Catholic. He was not of a very striking appearance, being very short (5 feet 1 and a half inches), somewhat corpulent, with a full, round face. He was near-sighted and always wore eyeglasses which evidently he never removed, not even while sleeping. Throughout his full-time composing life he lived largely a "bohemian" style of existence. He seldom concerned himself with his dress. He had a large circle of friends and was much liked. He normally had a cheerful mood, and among his friends he had various nick-names like "Schwammerl," meaning "Tubby". Some biographical accounts suggest the nickname of "Little Mushroom" was used for a while because of his short stature. He was something of a practical jokester, frequently delighting his friends by whistling his own songs through the teeth of a comb. He was fond of smoking his assortment of pipes, keen on dancing and enjoyed the eating and drinking establishments of his City.

13.	He was talkative, and his opinions on music were pointed, brief and penetrating. About his own works, Schubert spoke rarely. He was not a public virtuoso and did not perform for large crowds. Outside his close circle of friends, he was a shy man. Relatively little is known of many details of the more private aspects of his personal life, and uncertainties exist about his sexuality. Although he lived largely in male company, this was not unusual as bachelorhood and male friendships were normal during the 19th Century. Moreover, he was fond of women, but his self-consciousness made it very difficult for him to associate with them. Indeed, it has been suggested that some of his four-hand piano material was partly conceived to enable him to touch hands with female students. Moreover, there is the evidence about his failed marriage application in 1816, and his known attraction to one of Count Esterhazy's daughters, as mentioned earlier.








14.	His intellectual horizon was limited in that he knew little of painting, literature, philosophy or politics. He travelled little outside his native Austria. By nature, he was largely care-free, and did not write music primarily for fame and profit. On business matters, he left his friends to manage all of his affairs. He shied away from high society and only made rare, uncomfortable ventures into their company. Had he tried, he could have progressed very much further in their company, and made a substantially better living, but he simply lacked any kind of enthusiasm for this kind of activity. The only notable public position he sought was in 1826 when he was unsuccessful in applying for the vacant post of Vice-Kapellmeister of the Imperial Court.

*Reverences*

15.	Schubert spent his life largely focused on music. He held the highest esteem for Handel, Mozart and Beethoven. Somewhat curiously, perhaps, he also held a high regard for Michael Haydn (younger brother of the more famous Joseph Haydn). As noted earlier, he especially worshipped Beethoven. There are conflicting reports on whether he and Beethoven ever met. Beethoven was some 27 years older than Schubert and had lived in Vienna since about 1792. Apart from possible occasional fleeting encounters, one report suggests they met in 1822 to discuss a piece of work by Schubert, and that this resulted in a misunderstanding that left Schubert somewhat deflated. However, the authenticy of this encounter is not supported by other accounts

16.	At this time Beethoven's reputation was immense, and Schubert's minute in comparison. Any encounter that might have taken place would most certainly have been on a highly unequal basis. Later, however, there is little doubt that Beethoven was aware of Schubert's growing reputation, and it is reported that Beethoven commented very favourably on some of Schubert's song material shown to him in 1825. This gap in reputation was, of course destined to become very substantially narrowed by Schubert's enormous posthumous gain in popularity. As he contemplated the greatness of Beethoven, Schubert could hardly have realised that one day his name too would be held in the highest regard by countless later generations.

17.	Another account suggests that when Schubert heard of Beethoven's terminal illness in early 1827 he and some of his close friends together visited the sickbed of the great composer in his last days, and stood in silent veneration for several hours. However, this story too is subject to some uncertainty, as there is a conflicting account which suggests that no such encounter took place, at least not in those terms. What is known for sure is that at Beethoven's funeral on 29 March 1827 Schubert was one of the torch bearers.

18.	The situation of two of history's most outstanding composers living and working side by side in the same City over 10 simultaneous years of their productive lives, not ever meeting except only possibly and even then only very briefly, with a largely one-way admiration of each other, is the stuff of legends. And what an ending: being buried next to each other within 20 months of Beethoven's death.








*Schubert's Style and Musical Achievements*

19.	*Melody*: Schubert's greatness as a composer rests principally upon his astounding lyrical gift. In the history of music, arguably no composer ever displayed greater genius for melodic writing than Franz Schubert. His distinctive and unique gift for spontaneous, lyrical and charming melodic invention resulted in compositions that offer a seemingly inexhaustible variety of moods. This is particularly the case in his late period works where occasional joy is invariably heavily tinged with a degree of sadness, meditation and introspection that so clearly reflects the contemplation of his own sorry state.

20.	*Harmony*: In terms of harmonic originality, Schubert is considered among the very best composers in the history of music. His sudden shifts between the major and minor modes in his instrumental music and the subtle way he often explored unusual key relationships, was one of his chief characteristics. His orchestration abilities were substantial, which is all the more incredible given the very limited, often non-existent, resources at his disposal for such works.

21.	*Form*: Schubert stretched Classical sonata form to its limits. His symphonic style was in late Classical form, but his lieder and keyboard works were Romantic in tone. He was one of the most outstanding pioneers of the Romantic Movement.

22.	*Quantity*: Schubert wrote music very quickly with such a degree of perfection that his ability to produce many works in a short space of time is legendary. His output was enormous, especially taking account of the comparatively short period of time over which it was composed, of about 15 years. His age at death, 31, was the youngest by far of all the great composers. Even many years after his death, a great number of his masterpieces lay neglected on dusty shelves in obscure attics. It was, for example, Robert Schumann, who in 1840, 12 years after Schubert's death, found the Symphony in C Major ("Great") along with very many other works, in a hidden chest. It took many decades of painstaking research by later workers and composers to identify and categorise all of Schubert's works, which number around 1000.

23.	*Range and quality*: Except for opera, he excelled in all of the forms that he attempted. As regards opera, the problem here was that Schubert proved to be a bad judge of libretti, and merely worked on whatever commissions came his way. Of course, this may have been unavoidable given his lack of notoriety. While the quality of libretti was mostly poor, much of the opera music he composed was very good. Both as a symphonist and in much of his religious choral music he was very impressive. Along with Beethoven, he was the most accomplished symphonist of his day. He wrote some of the best liturgical music for the Catholic Church of the early 19th Century. Much of his chamber music is sublime, and some of his piano miniatures, such as his Impromptus and Moment Musicals for piano, arguably match in quality the best of other illustrious piano composers both before and after. His late piano sonatas are among the very finest of that genre.

24.	*Lieder*: Schubert completely revolutionised the German art song genre, and was arguably the greatest song-writer who ever lived. Among his one thousand compositions that survive, his art songs or Lieder comprise the largest portion of his works, over 600 in total. This is not surprising since some of the greatest singers of his native Vienna were among his circle of friends and musical collaborators, and who provided a good deal of the support and backing that the shy and self-conscious Schubert needed to sustain his life.

25.	*Legacy*: Until the end of his life, Schubert remained a comparatively obscure and unknown composer. His fame rose after his death and grew rapidly later in the century as the enormous scale of his achievements was slowly revealed. This fame has continued to this day. Among his particularly famous later composer admirers were Schumann and Brahms, but he also influenced the works of Bruckner, Dvorak and Wolf.

*Quotes about Schubert *

*Beethoven*: "Truly, the spark of Divine genius resides in this Schubert".

*Schumann*: "Schubert, whose name, I thought, should only be whispered at night to the trees and stars … will always remain the favourite of youth … Time, though producing much that is beautiful, will not soon produce another Schubert".

*Franz Liszt*: "...the most poetic musician that ever lived".

*Anton Rubinstein*: "Once more, and a thousand times more, Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert are the highest summits in music".

*Dvorak*: "In his gift of orchestral colouring, Schubert has had no superior".

*Richard Strauss*: "Lucky Schubert, who could compose what he wanted, whatever his genius made him do".

*Artur Schnabel*: " .. the composer nearest to God".​*Some of my favourite Schubert works* (in very approximate order)

1. Small Selection of Lieder:

Nahe Des Geliebten (D 162)
Erlkonig (D 328)
Litanei Auf Das Fest Allerseelan (D 343)
Lied eines Schiffers An Die Dioskuren (D 360)
An Die Musik (D 547) 
Im Abendrot (D 799) 
Nacht und Traume (D 827)
Die Junge Nonne (D 828) 
Ellens Gesang III (Ave Maria) (D 839)
Im Fruhling (D 882) 
Standchen (D 889) 
An Silvia (D 891) 
Das Lied Im Grunen (D 917) 
Leise flehen meine (D 957/4) 
Der hirt auf dem felsen (D 965)
2. Impromptu No. 3 in G flat Major, D 899 
3. Winterreise, D 911 
4. Trio for Piano and Strings No 2 in E Flat, D 929 + "notturno" (Op. 148) 
5. Symphony No. 8 in B minor "Unfinished", D 759 
6. Piano Sonata No 21 in B Flat Major, D 960 
7. Impromptu No. 4 in A Flat, D 899 
8. Piano Sonata No. 17 in G Major, D 850 
9. Mass 6 In E Flat, D 950 
10. Quintet for Strings in C Major, D 956 
11. Symphony No. 9 in C major "The Great", D 944 
12. Piano Quintet in A, "Trout", D 667 
13. Quartet for Strings No. 14 in D minor "Death and the Maiden", D 810 
14. Piano Sonata No. 20 in A Major, D 959 
15. Impromptu No. 2 in A flat Major, D 935 
16. Moment Musical No. 3 in F minor, D 780 
17. Symphony No. 5 in B Flat major, D 485 
18. Trio for Piano and Strings No. 1 in B Flat major, D 898 
19. String Quintet in C Major, D956
20. Fantasy in C major "Wanderer", D 760	
21. Quartet for Strings No. 13 in A Minor "Rosamunde", D 804 
22. Sonata for Arpeggione in A minor, D 821
23. Fantaisie for Violin and Piano In C Major, D 934
24. Symphony No. 3 in D Major, D 200
25. Klavierstucke No. 2 in E Flat Major, D 946
26. Rosamund Entr'acte No. III in E Flat Major, D 797
27. Octet in F, D 803
28. Mass 2 in G Major, D 167
29. Piano Sonata No. 20 in A Flat, D 959
30. Piano Sonata No. 18 in G Major, D 894


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## Frederik Magle

Thank you very much for writing this excellent and in-depth article, Topaz! It's a a joy to read! I will follow the discussion about this great composer with interest.


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## Hexameron

In honor of Schubert, I thought I would include an essay written by Antonin Dvorak. It is less Romantic than Weiss's Brahms essay, found in the Brahms Composer of the Week thread. Dvorak's writing style is easier to read and he conveys some good facts and anecdotes, not to mention his expertise and insight into much of Schubert's music.

Franz Schubert

_By Antonin Dvorak_

"On January 31, 1897, a century had elapsed since Franz Schubert was born, and sixty-nine years since he died. He lived only thirty-one years, yet in this short time -or, more accurately, in eighteen years-he wrote more than eleven hundred compositions. This fact, in itself sufficiently astounding, becomes more so when we consider the conditions of his life as described by his biographers-his poverty and privations, from his early years, when we find him suffering from hunger and cold, and unable to buy music-paper to write down his inspirations, to his last year, when typhoid fever ended his career and left his heirs about ten dollars, not enough to pay for his funeral expenses-and no wonder, since even in his last years twenty cents was considered pay enough for some of those songs on which many publishers have since grown rich.

Surprise has often been expressed that the Viennese (among whom he lived) and the publishers should not have appreciated him more substantially; yet it is not difficult to find reasons for this in the circumstances of the case. While a pianist or singer may find immediate recognition, a composer, especially if he has so original a message to deliver as had Schubert, has to bide his time. We must bear in mind how very young he was when he died. Dr. Hanslick has urged, in defense of the Viennese, that only seven years elapsed between the publication of Schubert's first works and his death, and that during his lifetime he became known chiefly as a song composer; and songs were at that time not sung at public concerts, but only in the domestic circle. Moreover, Rossini on the one hand, and Beethoven on the other, overshadowed the modest young Schubert. It is significant that Beethoven did not discover his genius till the year of his own death. As regards Schubert's orchestral works, we must remember that orchestras were not at that time what they are today. The best Viennese organization, the _Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde_, found the Symphony in C 'too long and too difficult' at the rehearsal, and substituted an earlier work. This was in 1828, the year of the composer's death. Ten years later the zealous Schumann discovered the great Symphony in C and took it to Leipzig, where the equally enthusiastic Mendelssohn secured for it a noteworthy success. In Vienna, however, although it was again taken up in the following year, only two movements were given, and these were separated by a Donizetti aria! Three years later Habeneck attempted to produce the symphony in Paris, but the band rebelled over the first movement, and, two years later still, when Mendelssohn put it in rehearsal for a Philharmonic concert in London, the same result followed. These things seem strange to us, but they are history, and help to explain why Schubert, with all his melody and spontaneity, made his way so slowly to popular appreciation. He was young, modest, and unknown, and musicians did not hesitate to slight a symphony which they would have felt bound to study had it borne the name of Beethoven or Mozart.

Schubert's fame has grown steadily from year to year, and will grow greater still in the twentieth century. Rubinstein has, perhaps, gone farther than any one else, not only in including him in the list of those he considers the five greatest composers-Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Glinka-but in exclaiming, 'Once more, and a thousand times more, Bach, Beethoven, and Schubert are the highest summits in music.' I am asked where I approve of this classification. Such questions are difficult to answer. I should follow Rubinstein in including Schubert in the list of the very greatest composers, but I should not follow him in omitting Mozart. Schubert and Mozart have much in common: in both we find the same delicate sense of instrumental coloring, the same spontaneous and irrepressible flow of melody, the same instinctive command o the means of expression, and the same versatility in all the branches of their art. In their amazing fertility, too, they were alike; and herein lay, and still lies, one of the greatest impediments to their popular appreciation. The longer I live the more I become convinced that composers, like authors, usually follow the impulse and write too much. There are a few exceptions, like Berlioz and Chopin-not to forget Wagner, who condensed all his genius into ten great music-dramas. Had Rossini written ten operas instead of forty, Donizetti seven instead of seventy, would it not have been better for their immortality and the perpetual delight of mankind? Even Bach's magnificent cantatas would have had a better chance of appreciation if there were not quite so many. The first thirty-four volumes of Bach's collected works contain one hundred and sixty, for all that, we should be sorry to lose a single one of them. If we are often amazed at the prevailing ignorance and neglect of many of the great works of the masters, we are at the same time obliged to confess that they themselves are largely to blame: they have given us too much. However, it is easier to give advice than to follow it. There is in creative minds an impulse to write which it is difficult to curb, and this was especially the case with Schubert, whose genius was like a spring which nothing but exhaustion could stop from flowing. Fortunately, the works of the great masters have at least been made accessible in complete editions: all of Schubert's works are now printed by Breitkopf and Hartel. The edition contains many gems unknown to the public, or even to the profession; and it now behooves artists and conductors to select from this embarrassing wealth what most deserves revival.

Schubert contributed to every form of his art; he was, as I have said, as versatile as Mozart, with whom he shares so many points of resemblance. But in one respect these two masters differ widely. Mozart was greatest in the opera, where Schubert was weakest. Schubert's attempts to exercise his genius and improve his fortunes by writing operas came at an unpropitious moment-a time when Vienna was so Rossini-mad that even Beethoven was discouraged from writing for the stage. It took several rebuffs to discourage Schubert; indeed, though all his attempts failed, he is said to have had further operatic projects at the time of his last illness. He was always unlucky with his librettos, which are, without exception, inadequate. There were other untoward circumstances; yet the chief cause of his failure lay, after all, in the nature of his genius, which was lyrical, and not dramatic, or, at any rate, not theatrical. When Liszt produced 'Alfonso und Estrella' at Weimar in 1854, it had only a _succes d'estime_, and Liszt himself confessed that its performance must be regarded merely as _ein Act der Pietat_, and an execution of historic justice. He called attention to the strange fact that Schubert, who contributed such picturesque and expressive accompaniments to his songs, should in this opera have assigned to the instruments a role so subordinate that the effect was little more than that of a pianoforte accompaniment arranged for the orchestra. At the same time, as Liszt very properly adds, Schubert influenced the progress of opera indirectly, by showing in his songs how closely poetry can be wedded to music, and how it can emotionally intensified by the impassioned accents of song. Nor must we overlook the fact that there are in these Schubert operas not a few melodies, beautiful as such, which we can enjoy at home or in the concert-hall. These melodies were too lyrical in style to save the operas; they also lacked the ornamental brilliancy and theatrical dash which enabled Rossini to succeed temporarily with poor librettos and with a dramatic instinct less genuine than Schubert has shown in some of his songs, such as the 'Erl King' and especially the 'Doppelganger,' where we come across chords and modulations that affect us like the weird harmonies of Ortrud's scenes in 'Lohengrin.'

Besides the opera there is only one department of music in which Schubert has not in some of his efforts reached the highest summit of musical achievement. His sacred compositions, although very beautiful from a purely musical point of view, usually lack the true ecclesiastic atmosphere-a remark which may be applied, in a general way, to Haydn and Mozart. To my mind, the three composers who have been most successful in revealing the inmost spirit of religious music are Palestrina, in whom Roman Catholic music attaints its climax; Bach, who embodies the Protestant spirit; and Wagner, who has struck the true ecclesiastic chord in the Pilgrims' Chorus of 'Tannhauser,' and especially in the first and third acts of 'Parsifal.' Compared with these three masters, other composers appear to have made too many concessions to worldly and purely musical factors-of course, not without exceptions. One of these exceptions is Mozart's 'Requiem,' especially the 'Dies Irae,' which moves us as few compositions do, and attunes the soul to reverence and worship. Such exceptions may also be found among Schubert's sacred compositions. 'Miriam's Song of Victory' is a wonderful work, as are some of his masses. In the Psalms, too, he has achieved great things, especially the one for female voices in A flat major, which is celestial without worldly admixtures. It must not be forgotten, also, that the notions as to what is truly sacred in music, like the sense of humor, may differ somewhat among nations and individuals. To the Viennese contemporaries of Haydn, Mozart, and Schubert, the masses by these composers probably did not seem to _gemuthlich_, as the Germans say-too genial and sentimental. As for Schubert himself, he was thoroughly convinced of the truly devotional character of his church music. We know this from a letter he wrote to his parents in 1825, and in which occurs the following: 'Surprise was also expressed at my piety, to which I have given expression in a hymn to the Holy Virgin, which, as it seems, moves every one to devotion. I believe that this comes of the circumstance that I never force myself into a devout attitude and never compose such hymns or prayers unless I am involuntarily overcome by religious feeling; but in that case it usually happens to be the genuine spirit of devotion.'

Schubert's chamber music, especially his string quartets and his trios for pianoforte, violin, and violoncello, must be ranked among the very best of their kind in all musical literature. Of the quartets, the one in D minor is, in my opinion, the most original and important; that in A minor the most fascinating. Schubert does not try to give his chamber music an orchestral character, yet he attains a marvelous variety of beautiful tonal effects. Here, as elsewhere, his flow of melody is spontaneous, incessant, and irrepressible, leading often to excessive diffuseness. Like Chopin and Rossini, Schubert has frequently shown how a melody may be created which can wonderfully charm us, even apart from the harmonic accompaniment which naturally goes with and enriches it. But he was accused by his contemporaries by neglecting polyphony, or the art of interweaving several melodious parts into a contrapuntal web. This charge, combined with a late study of Handel's scores, induced him shortly before his death to plan a course of study in counterpoint with Sechter. No doubt his education in counterpoint had been neglected. It is not likely, however, that his would have materially altered his style, which was too individual from the beginning to undergo much change. For Schubert did not outgrow his early style so noticeably as, for example, did Beethoven and Wagner. Besides, Schubert had no real need of contrapuntal study. In his chamber music, as in his symphonies, we often find beautiful specimens of polyphonic writing-see, for instance, the andantes of the C major quintet and of the D minor quartet-and though his polyphony is different from Bach's or Beethoven's, it is none the less admirable. Mendelssohn is undoubtedly a greater master of polyphony than Schubert, yet I prefer Schubert's chamber music to Mendelssohn's.

Of Schubert's symphonies, too, I am such an enthusiastic admirer that I do not hesitate to place him next to Beethoven, far above Mendelssohn as well as above Schumann. Mendelssohn had some of Mozart's natural instinct for orchestration and gift for form, but much of his work has proved ephemeral. Schumann is at his best in his songs, his chamber music, and his pianoforte pieces. His symphonies, too, are great works, though they are not always truly orchestral; the form seems to hamper the composer, and the instrumentation is not always satisfactory. This is never the case with Schubert. Although he sometimes wrote carelessly, and often too diffusely, he was never at fault in his means of expression, while mastery of form came to him spontaneously. In originality of harmony and modulation, and in his gift of orchestral coloring, Schubert has had no superior. Dr. Riemann asserts with justice that both Schumann and Liszt are descendants of Schubert in their use of harmony; Brahms, too, whose enthusiasm for Schubert is well known, has perhaps felt his influence; and as for myself, I cordially acknowledge my great obligations to him.

I have just observed that mastery of form came to Schubert spontaneously. This is illustrated by his early symphonies, five of which he wrote before he was twenty. The more I study them, the more I marvel. Although the influence of Haydn and Mozart is apparent in them, Schubert's musical individuality is unmistakable in the character of the melody, in the harmonic progressions, and in many exquisite bits of orchestration. In his later symphonies he becomes more and more individual and original. The influence of Haydn and Mozart, so obvious in his earlier efforts, is gradually eliminated. With his contemporary, Beethoven, he had less in common from the beginning. He resembles Beethoven, however, in the vigor and melodious flow of his basses; such basses we find even in his early symphonies. His 'Unfinished Symphony' and the great one in C are unique contributions to musical literature, absolutely new and original, Schubert in every bar. What is perhaps most characteristic is the song-like melody pervading them. He introduced the song into the symphony, and made the transfer so skillfully that Schumann was led to speak of the resemblance to the human voice of these orchestral parts.

Although these two symphonies are by far Schubert's best, it is a pity that they alone should be deemed worthy by a place on our concert programs. I have played the sixth, in C major, and No. 5, in B major, a dozen times with my orchestral pupils at the National Conservatory; they shared my pleasure in them, and at once recognized their great beauty.

It was with great pleasure and feelings of gratitude that I read not long ago of the performance in Berlin of the B major symphony by Herr Weingartner, one of the few conductors who have had the courage to put this youthful work on their programs. Schubert's fourth symphony, too, is an admirable composition. It bears the title of 'Tragic Symphony,' and was written at the age of nineteen, about a year after the 'Erl King.' It makes one marvel that so young a composer should have had the power to give utterance to such deep pathos. In the adagio there are chords that strikingly suggest the anguish of Tristan's utterances; nor is this the only place wherein Schubert is prophetic of Wagnerian harmonies. And although in some degree anticipated by Gluck and Mozart, he was one of the first to make use of an effect to which Wagner and other modern composers owe many of their most beautiful orchestral colors-the employment of the brass, not for noise, but played softly, to secure rich and warm tints.

The richness and variety of coloring in the great Symphony in C are astounding. It is a work which always fascinates, always remains new. It has the effect of gathering clouds, with constant glimpses of sunshine breaking through them. It illustrates also, like most of Schubert's compositions, the truth of an assertion once made to me by Dr. Hans Richter-that the greatest masters always reveal their genius most unmistakably and most delightfully in their slow movements. Personally, I prefer the 'Unfinished Symphony' even to the one in C; apart from its intrinsic beauty, it avoids diffuseness.

If Schubert's symphonies have a serious fault, it is prolixity; he does not know when to stop; but, if the repeats are omitted, a course of which I thoroughly approve and which, indeed, is now generally adopted, they are not too long. Schubert's case, in fact, is not an exception to, but an illustration of, the general rule that symphonies are made too long. When Bruckner's eighth symphony was produced in Vienna last winter, the Philharmonic Society had to devote a whole concert to it. The experiment has not been repeated elsewhere, and there can be no doubt that this symphony would have a better chance of making its way in the world if it were shorter. This remark has a general application. We should return to the symphonic dimensions approved by Haydn and Mozart. In this respect Schumann is a model, especially in his B flat major and D minor symphonies; also in his chamber music. Modern taste calls for music that is concise, condensed, and pithy.

In Germany, England, and America, Schubert's instrumental works, chamber and orchestral, have long since enjoyed a vogue and popularity which have amply atoned for their early neglect. As for the French, they have produced two Schubert biographies, but it cannot be said that they have shown the same general sympathy for this master as for some other German composers, or as the English have, thanks largely to the enthusiastic efforts of my esteemed friend, Sir George Grove. It is on record that after Habeneck had made an unsuccessful effort (his musicians rebelled at the rehearsal) to produce the great Symphony in C at a Conservatoire concert, no further attempt was made with Schubert's orchestral compositions at these concerts for forty years.

This may help to explain the extraordinary opinion of the eminent French critic, Fetis, that Schubert is less original in his instrumental works than in his songs, the popularity of which he also declared to be largely a matter of fashion! The latter insinuation is of course too absurd to call for comment today, but as regards the first part of his criticism I do not hesitate to say that, greatly as I esteem Schubert's songs, I value his instrumental works even more highly. Were all of his compositions to be destroyed by two, I should say, save the last two symphonies.

Fortunately we are not confronted by any such necessity. The loss of Schubert's pianoforte pieces and songs would indeed be irreparable. For although much of their spirit and substance has passed into the works of his imitators and legitimate followers, the originals have never been equaled in their way. In most of his works Schubert is unique in melody, rhythm, modulation, and orchestration, but from a formal point of view he certainly is most original in his songs and his short pieces of piano. In his symphonies, chamber music, operas, and sacred compositions, he follows classical models; but in the lied, the 'Musical Moment,' the 'Impromptu,' he is a romanticist in every fiber. Yet he wrote no fewer than twenty-four sonatas (in which he follows classical models) for pianoforte for two or four hands. We can trace the influence of Beethoven's style even in the three which he wrote in the last year of his life. This seems strange when we consider that in the lied and the short pianoforte pieces he betrayed no such influence even in his earliest days. The 'Erl king' and 'The Wanderer,' written respectively when he was eighteen and nineteen, are Schubert in every bar, whereas the piano sonatas and symphonies of this period are much more imitative, much less individual. One reason for his, doubtless, is that just as it is easier to write a short lyric poem than a long epic, so it is easier for a young composer to be original in short forms than in the more elaborate sonata and symphony; and we must remember that Schubert died at thirty-one.

But there was another reason. The tendency of the romantic school has been toward short forms, and although Weber helped to show the way, to Schubert belongs the chief credit of originating the short models of pianoforte pieces which the romantic school has preferably cultivated. His 'Musical Moments' are unique, and it may be said that in the third 'Impromptu' (Op. 90) lie the germs of the whole of Mendelssohn's 'Songs Without Words.' Schumann has remarked that Schubert's style is more idiomatically pianistic than Beethoven's, and this is perhaps true of these short pieces. Yet it can hardly be said that either Schubert or Schumann was in this respect equal to Bach or Chopin, who of all composers have written the most idiomatically for the piano. I cannot agree with Schumann in his rather depreciatory notice of Schubert's last sonatas (he speaks of 'greater simplicity of invention,' 'a voluntary dispensing with brilliant novelty,' and connects this with Schubert's last illness). I should not say that Schubert is at his best in these sonatas as a whole, but I have a greater admiration for parts of them, especially for the last one in B flat with the exquisite andante in C sharp minor. Taking them all in all, I do not know but what I prefer his sonatas even to his short pieces fro the piano. Yet they are seldom played at concerts!

Just as the 'Impromptus' and 'Musical Moments' were the source of the large crop of romantic short pieces, so Schubert's charming waltzes were the predecessors of the Lanner and Strauss dances on the one hand, and of Chopin's waltzes on the other. There is an astounding number of these Schubert dance pieces. Liszt has given some of a brilliant setting for the concert-hall, but they are charming as originally written. In this humble sphere, as in the more exalted ones we have discussed, historians have hardly given Schubert full credit for his originality and influence.

In Schubert's pianoforte music, perhaps even more than in his other compositions, we find a Slavic trait which he was the first to introduce prominently into art-music, namely, the quaint alteration of major and minor within the same period. Nor is this the only Slavic or Hungarian trait to be found in his music. During his residence in Hungary, he assimilated national melodies and rhythmic peculiarities, and embodied them in his art, thus becoming the forerunner of Liszt, Brahms, and others who have made Hungarian melodies an integral part of European concert music. From the rich stores of Slavic folk-music, in its Hungarian, Russian, Bohemian, and Polish varieties, the composers of today have derived, and will continue to derive, much that is charming and novel in their music. Nor is there anything objectionable in this, for if the poet and the painter base much of their best art on national legends, songs, and traditions, why should not the musician? And to Schubert will belong the honor of having been one of the first to show the way.

Perhaps the luckiest accident in Schubert's life was his acquaintance and friendship with the famous tenor Vogl. This was brought about deliberately by his friends, in order to secure for his songs the advantage of that singer's artistic interpretation. Vogl at first pretended to be 'tired of music,' and showed some indifference to his modest young accompanist's songs; but this soon changed to interest, followed by genuine enthusiasm. Thus it came about that these song were gradually made familiar in Viennese social circles. Schubert himself sang, though only with a 'composer's voice'; but he must have been an admirable accompanist. In a letter to his parents he says: 'I am assured by some that under my fingers the keys are changed to singing voices, which, if true, would please me greatly.' This, written only three years before his death, illustrates his great modesty. In some recently published reminiscences by Josef von Spaun it is related how, when Vogl and Schubert performed together at soirees in Vienna, the ladies would crowd about the tenor, lionizing him and entirely ignoring the composer. But Schubert, instead of feeling annoyed or jealous, was actually pleased. Adoration embarrassed him, and he is known to have dodged it by escaping secretly by the back door.

Little did the Viennese dream that the songs thus interpreted for them by Schubert and Vogl would create a new era in music. Of the lied, or lyric song, not only is Schubert originator, but no one has ever surpassed him. Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven did indeed write a few songs, but merely by the way, and without revealing much of their genius or individuality in them. But Schubert created a new epoch with the lied, as Bach did with the piano and Haydn with the orchestra. All other song-writers have followed in his footsteps, all are his pupils, and it is to his rich treasure of songs that we owe, as a heritage, the beautiful songs of such masters as Schumann, Franz, and Brahms. To my taste the best songs written since Schubert are the 'Magelonen-Lieder' of Brahms; but I agree with the remark once made to me by the critic Ehlert that Franz attained the highest perfection of all in making poetry and music equivalent in his songs.

In the best of Schubert's songs we find the same equivalence of poem and music, and it was lucky that Vogl was an artist, who as Spaun says, 'sang in such a way as to interest his hearers not only in the music, but also in the poem,' which so few singers do. In the absence of singers who could imitate Vogle in this respect, Liszt was justified in arranging these songs for the pianoforte, whereby he greatly accelerated their popularity. To hear the real Schubert, however, we must have the voice and the poem, too, so that we may note how closely the poem and the music are amalgamated, and how admirably the melodic accent coincides with the poetic. In this respect, Schubert marks a great advance over his predecessors. He was almost as averse to word-repetitions as Wagner, whom he also resembles in the powerful emotional effects he produces by his modulations, especially in his later songs.

Schubert's melodic fount flowed so freely that he sometimes squandered good music on a poor text, as is shown in his operas and in some of his songs. Usually, however, the best poems evoked the best music from his creative fancy. His fertility is amazing. It is known that he composed as many as eight songs in one day, and ninety-one in one year (1816), while the whole number of his songs exceeds six hundred. The best of these songs are now so universally known, and have been so much discussed, that it is difficult to offer any new comment on them.

There is only one more point to which attention may be called here-Schubert's power of surrounding us with the poetic atmosphere of his subject with the very first bars of his lieder. For such a stroke of genius recall his song 'Der Leiermann,' the pathetic story of the poor hurdy gurdy player whose plate is always empty, and for whose woes Schubert wins our sympathy by his sad music-by that plaintive, monotonous figure which pervades the accompaniment from beginning to end, bringing the whole scene vividly before our eyes and keeping it there to the end. Before Schubert no song-writer had conceived such an effect, after he had shown the way, others eagerly followed in his footsteps."


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## Edward Elgar

*Schubert Symphonies*

I just want to express my adoration for the 5th an 8th symphonies of Schubert. The first movement of the unfinished has an awsome development, just get your ears around the semiquavers in the top strings - ooh yeah!


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## Topaz

*Hexameron:* Thanks for your contribution above. It is a very clear account of Schubert's greatness as seen by a very eminent composer, Dvorak, who was among those influenced by him. It is written in a style that seems so modern, not over a 100 years or so ago. I had not seen this before and am very glad that it contains no major inconsistencies with what I wrote at the beginning.

I was reading recently another little anecdote concerning Schubert's modesty. As noted in the first article, one of Schubert's closest friends and colleagues was the much older Michael Vogl who was a well-established baritone in Vienna. It was Vogl who sang and promoted Schubert's lieder both in private, and in the few public gatherings. At the "Schubertiads" (private gatherings) a typical scene might be where Schubert would accompany on the piano Vogl who would sing Schubert's creations. The normal reaction among those not too familiar with Schubert would be to swoon around Vogl, even though the real talent was from Schubert. This detraction didn't bother Schubert as he was so shy and unassuming that he preferred it that way; so much so that he would often escape through a back door at the end of proceedings rather than face any kind of adulation once the guests realised his true identity. This I find very sad and touching.

As I said, I have the highest regard for Schubert. This enthusiasm has actually developed further over the past few weeks while I have been contemplating these matters. I find that his style is just about the most perfect fit to my perceptions of good music. In most genres, I think Schubert is either supreme or very close to it. To me he is by far the best melodist of all composers (better than Tchaikovsky, his closest rival). No one can string it all together quite like Schubert and make the whole thing, whatever it is, such a delight.


In lieder he is supreme without doubt. Winterreise is the best song cycle ever written, and is a major work.

In chamber music he shares top honours with Beethoven. For example, Schubert's piano trios (especially "Notturno") and the C Major String Quintet are works of the highest quality.

In symphonic works, his S 5, 8, 9 are top class. Apart from late Mozart, some Beethoven and some Brahms I don't think there is much to beat the quality of these Schubert symphonies.

In the area of piano solo, I like Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann etc, but some of the very nicest pieces are by Schubert. In fact, I would say that my favourite individual short piano pieces are by Schubert. As an example, the imprompus are brilliant, and the second movement of D 960 is magnificent.

In the area of sacred music, Schubert is among the very best, and I prefer his masses to anything similar by others.
For me only Beethoven is overall better, but the gap has narrowed of late in my opinion. I rate Schubert above Bach, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Wagner, but of course this is entirely a personal matter, and many will disagree. The secret is partly in the style of music that Schubert wrote, which I prefer to any of these others, and partly because he was a diverse composer, which attribute I consider to be an undoubted big bonus as my tastes are quite wide. I would place Schumann and Brahms behind Schubert on overall quality grounds, and genius level. Tchaikovsky doesn't quite match the overall quality of these afore-mentioned, although I have a very high regard for him. With someone like Wagner, his works are limited in coverage and I find this a big problem in terms of his rating. The music of Bach and Mozart - whilst comparable geniuses - I find less appealing overall, being either too monotonous and mechanical or flimsy and forgettable, obviously with some very notable exceptions. No one in the 20 th Century gets remotely close to any of these Titans.


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## Topaz

The following are videos of a few Schubert piano solo pieces:

Impromptu D 899/3: 




Impromptu D 899/4: 




Piano Sonata No 21, second movement :


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## ChamberNut

With the influx of new members at TC, I thought it would be great to "bump up" this thread to maybe draw people's attention to it again, or anew.

I had printed the article Topaz had posted here, plus Hexameron's add-on several months ago. I had it in a pile of papers that I was sorting through last night, so I finally gave it a full reading.  

This is such a marvelous contribution by Topaz and also by Hexameron, on the life and music of one of the greats, Franz Schubert.

I recommend anyone taking the time to read this if you have not already, and are a fan of Schubert's music.


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## opus67

ChamberNut said:


> With the influx of new members at TC, I thought it would be great to "bump up" this thread to maybe draw people's attention to it again, or anew.


Thanks. With me just discovering Schubert, this will come in handy.

Oh, and you can resurrect the Brahms thread in 2010.


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## Rog

Marvellous. Thank you for that.


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## Ciel_Rouge

I have just discovered Schubert's op. 100. I am particularly fascinated with the second movement in the Piano Trio No. 2. The initial piano theme sounds to me like it is based on some kind of a dance, some strong and solemn rhythm, sounds sort of like a tango to me. Could someone please tell me what dance could that be:


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## ChamberNut

Ciel_Rouge said:


> I have just discovered Schubert's op. 100. I am particularly fascinated with the second movement in the Piano Trio No. 2. The initial piano theme sounds to me like it is based on some kind of a dance, some strong and solemn rhythm, sounds sort of like a tango to me. Could someone please tell me what dance could that be:


I believe it's based on a Swedish folk theme.


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## Ciel_Rouge

Yes, the melody played is indeed "Se solen sjunker". However, what I meant was the rhythm that you can hear in the first few notes - this sounds like a Spanish dance to me, however I do not yet posess a detailed knowledge about dances...


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## Sebastien Melmoth

I'm a Schubert fan--big-time!
His unusual treatment of harmony; his lovely melodies; his interesting rhythms; his excellent treatment of instrumental and vocal tessituras and timbres all work for me.
It's amazing how much quality work he did in such a short lifetime.
I love Fischer-Dieskau/Gerald Moore with the lieder (although Christine Schäfer did a wonderful Winterriese).
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Lieder-Box-Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau/dp/B000AYQCIK/ref=cm_lmf_tit_13
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Winterreise-Franz-Vienna/dp/B000FI9058/ref=cm_lmf_tit_38
The Tal/Groethuysen Duo do splendid work on a Fasioli with Schubert's four-hand piano work.
http://www.amazon.com/Piano-Music-F...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271333114&sr=1-1
András Schiff did the finest Sonata cycle on a Bösendorfer (unfortunately OOP).
http://www.amazon.com/SCHUBERT-101-THE-SHORT-COURSE/lm/R24LML4SLXY3Y5/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
I go with Bylsma & company for the Trios.
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Byls...1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271333053&sr=1-1-spell
For the late string works (D. 703, 804, 810, 887, 956) like the Amadeus, Emerson, et alii.
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Maiden-Quartettsatz-Amadeus-Qt/dp/B00000E2LD/ref=cm_cr-mr-title
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-s-Tw.../R28M8UNFMI8KAV/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full
Also there's a brilliant set of the extensive part-songs.
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Comp...r_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1271332993&sr=1-10

Cheers!


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## peeyaj

I love Schubert..


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## Il_Penseroso

peeyaj said:


> I love Schubert..


Each time there's something on Schubert and his works, you'll find *peeyaj* onbord definitely ! I like it ! 

I love Schubert too, mostly in his Lieder, listening to Gute Nacht at the moment.


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## Muddy

In my short time here, I too have noticed Peeyaj's love for Schubert. And that is cool-there is much to love there. And as a rule, it's cool to love stuff!


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## Vaneyes

Muddy said:


> ....And as a rule, it's cool to love stuff!


Yes, that seems to be the popular belief.

View attachment 3360


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## kv466

Schubert is a composer I have always respected and admired yet I've still not gotten into knowing and memorizing his works which is really strange because I have always turned to get a second listen of this beautiful piano music playing and when I go see who it is,...it is Schubert. Thanks to you folks I think this year I shall finally immerse myself into his beautiful works.


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## peeyaj

I love Schubert even *MORE!!*


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## Hausmusik

Thanks, peeyaj, for "bumping" this. What an enjoyable article. I raise only one objection: the string quintet appears twice on Topaz's list of favorite works (#10, #19), as doe sthe Piano Sonata #20 in A (#14, #29), while the sublime String Quartet #15 in G nowhere!


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## mtmailey

Edward Elgar said:


> I just want to express my adoration for the 5th an 8th symphonies of Schubert. The first movement of the unfinished has an awsome development, just get your ears around the semiquavers in the top strings - ooh yeah!


I guess you did not here the symphony 10 nor 7 which someone else completed.


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## peeyaj

Happy 184th Death Anniversary, Franz!!!!


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## julianoq

This thread is amazing, so much good info. I am a little obsessed with Schubert this week, I can't stop to listen his symphonies. Next week I intend to dig his lieders. Thank you very much for the list!


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## Xisten267

Such an amazing and instructive thread. I've tried to find more from the "composer of the week" series using Google but couldn't find others except for Brahms. Anyone here knows if there are more and, if yes, could please provide me a good method to access them?

Thanks in advance.


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