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{shoo'-bairt}
One of the greatest composers of the 19th century, Franz Peter
Schubert, b. Liechtenthal (then a suburb of Vienna), on Jan.
31, 1797, is widely regarded as the world's finest songwriter.
At the age of 11 he was admitted to the Vienna Court Choir
and studied at its training school until 1813. He prepared
to become an elementary school teacher but gave up this vocation
after 2 years of employment (1814-16) to devote his life to
music.
Schubert wrote 2 of his best songs, "Gretchen am Spinnrade"
and "Erlkonig," nearly 200 other songs, 3 masses,
3 symphonies, and much piano and chamber music before his
19th birthday. From 1818 until his death, he lived in Vienna,
except for two summers (1818 and 1824) spent as music teacher
to Count Esterhazy's family at Zelesz, Hungary. He died on
Nov. 19, 1828, at the age of 31, almost certainly of syphilis.
Schubert was an immensely prolific composer in all media;
only his operas have not been successful. He had no regular
employment and depended for his existence on the support of
his friends and the occasional sale of his compositions. During
his lifetime his musical achievements were unappreciated save
by his friends, primarily because he was not a concert performer,
and most of his works were written for intimate gatherings
rather than for the concert hall.
His gifts for expressive melody, unconventional but appropriate
harmony, and unusual changes of key are evident throughout
all his works but are most clearly seen in his 634 songs (lieder).
In them, he established an equal partnership of piano and
voice to portray the inner meaning of the text and set a model
that subsequent composers would follow. Schubert's principal
songs include settings of poems by Goethe, two song cycles--Die
schone Mullerin (Fair Maid of the Mill, 1823) and Die Winterreise
(The Winter's Journey, 1827)--and his last 12 songs (1828),
published after his death as Schwanengesang (Swan Song). His
best-known piano works include the intimate Moments musicaux
(1823-27) and Impromptus (1827); the "Wanderer"
Fantasy (1822); the Fantasy in F Minor for piano duet (1828);
and his last three piano sonatas.
Schubert's first six symphonies are outwardly modeled after
those of Mozart and Haydn but contain many innovative departures
from their classic prototypes. His eighth, or "Unfinished,"
symphony, consists of only two movements and a sketch for
a third; remarkable for its harmonic boldness, it was not
performed until 1863. The ninth, or "Great" C Major
Symphony, his orchestral masterpiece, dates from 1825. (The
manuscript of the symphony was not discovered until 1838,
by Robert Schumann, and was first conducted the following
year by Felix Mendelssohn.) Schubert's chamber music includes
19 string quartets, the Octet (1828) for strings and wind
instruments, the popular "Trout" Quintet (1819)
for piano and strings, two piano trios, and the great C Major
String Quintet of 1828. He also wrote several major works
for violin and piano; six masses and other sacred and secular
choral music; and several operas, whose lack of success is
attributed principally to their poor librettos.
Schubert did not teach and left no school of composers, but
his influence was felt throughout the century. His large instrumental
and choral works of 1828 were Bruckner's point of departure.
His chamber music and piano compositions influenced not only
Schumann but also Brahms and Dvorak.
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