Franz Peter Schubert is a musical genius of the 19th century. Life history Which of the musicians were Schubert's teachers

Franz Schubert's brief biography is set out in this article.

Franz Schubert short biography

Franz Peter Schubert- Austrian composer, one of the founders of romanticism in music, author of about 600 vocal compositions, nine symphonies, as well as a large number of chamber and solo piano music.

Schubert is born January 31, 1797 in the suburbs of Vienna in a large family. From childhood he was fond of music: he played the violin, piano. From the age of six he studied at the parish school of Lichtental. From the age of seven, he took organ lessons from the Kapellmeister of the Lichtental Church.

In 1808-1812, Franz sang in the Imperial Court Chapel under the guidance of the outstanding Viennese composer and teacher Antonio Salieri, who, drawing attention to the boy's talent, began to teach him the basics of composition. By the age of seventeen, Schubert was already the author of piano pieces, vocal miniatures, string quartets, a symphony, and the opera The Devil's Castle.

Working as a teacher's assistant at his father's school (1814-18), Schubert continued to compose intensively.

The composer Schubert felt his first popularity in 1816 after writing the ballad "The Forest King". Schubert's further work revealed his melodic talent even more. Songs, Schubert's symphonies from the collections "The Beautiful Miller's Woman", "Winter Way" were especially noted.

Schubert's "Serenade" from the collection "Swan Song", as well as the songs "Shelter", "By the Sea" gained worldwide fame. Some works, such as Schubert's unfinished symphony (in B minor), the grand symphony, and others, are continuations of Beethoven's music.

The great composer wrote about 600 compositions. Schubert's waltzes make up a large proportion of the 400 dances written for piano 4-hands. Despite this, Franz Schubert lacked funds for almost his entire life.

In 1823 he was elected an honorary member of the Styrian and Linz musical unions.

In the 1820s, Schubert began to have health problems. In December 1822 he fell ill, but after a hospital stay in the autumn of 1823, his health improved.

From 1826 to 1828 Schubert lived in Vienna, except for a short stay in Graz.

On March 26, 1828, he gave his only public concert, which was a great success and brought him 800 guilders. Meanwhile, his numerous songs and piano works were printed.

Schubert passed away November 19, 1828 at age 32 from typhus after a two-week fever.

GRAND SYMPHONY FRANZ SCHUBERT

Throughout his life and for quite a long time after his death, he was the personification of a misunderstood genius that never achieved recognition. His music was admired only by friends and relatives, and most of his works were discovered and published many years after his untimely death.

Frustrated, ever needy Schubert created divine music. Being not very happy, remaining lonely and feeling isolated from the whole world, he wrote marvelous music filled with freshness. So who was this short, short-sighted, short-lived wanderer, named at birth Franz Peter Schubert?

The youngest of sons

The Schubert family comes from Austrian Silesia. The composer's father moved to Vienna and after a while became the director of a school in the suburbs of Lichtental. He married a girl from his village who worked as a cook. The family did not have enough funds, although it cannot be said that they lived in poverty. The marriage produced 14 children, of whom only five survived. The youngest of the sons was Franz Peter Schubert.

Thanks to his ability to play various instruments, as well as his devotion to music, Schubert soon received a promotion - the post of first violin. He also had to conduct the orchestra if the chief conductor was absent.

Irresistible desire

His music wanted to come out, but he kept his impulses secret. Yet it was very difficult to resist the impulse to compose. Thoughts flooded Franz, and he never had enough music paper to write down everything that came out.

Almost all my life Schubert he lived, if not in need, then with limited means, but he always experienced a particularly acute shortage of music paper. Already at the age of 13, he wrote an incredible amount: sonatas, masses, songs, operas, symphonies ... Unfortunately, only some of these early works saw the light of day.

At Schubert had an amazing habit: to mark on the notes the exact date when he began to compose a work and when he finished. It is very strange that in 1812 he wrote only one song - "Sad" - a small and not his most outstanding work. It is hard to believe that not a single song came out from the composer's pen in one of the most fruitful years of his work. Maybe, Schubert was so absorbed in instrumental music that it diverted his attention from his favorite genre. But the list of instrumental and religious music written during the same year is simply huge.

Schubert's failed marriage

1813 is considered the final period of early creativity. Due to the transitional age, the voice began to break, and Franz no more could sing in the court chapel. The emperor allowed him to stay at school, but the young genius no longer wanted to study. He returned home and, at his father's insistence, became a teacher's assistant at his school. It fell to him to work in a class for the smallest, with children who still do not know how and quickly forget everything. It was unbearable for the young genius. He often lost his temper, correcting students with kicks and spanks. Despite his desperate efforts, he was always dissatisfied.

In this period Schubert met Teresa Grom. The daughter of a manufacturer, to put it mildly, was not a beauty - whitish, with faded eyebrows, like many blondes, with traces of smallpox on her face. She sang in the church choir, and as soon as the music began to sound, Teresa was transformed from an ugly girl into a conspicuous girl, illuminated by an inner light. Schubert could not remain indifferent and in 1814 he decided to marry. However, financial difficulties prevented him from starting a family. Schubert with a penny salary of a school teacher, Mother Teresa did not suit, and she, in turn, could not go against her parents' will. After weeping, she married a confectioner.

End of routine

Devoting himself to tedious work, Schubert never for a moment stopped working on what was given to him from birth. His performance as a composer is simply amazing. 1815 is considered the most productive year in life Schubert.He wrote over 100 songs, half a dozen operas and operettas, several symphonies, church music, and so on. During this time he worked with Salieri. Now it is difficult even to imagine how and where he found time to compose. Many songs written during this period became the best in his work, what is even more surprising is that he sometimes wrote 5-8 songs a day.

Late 1815 - early 1816 Schubert wrote one of his best songs "King Earl" to the verses of Goethe's ballad. He read it twice and the music just poured out of him. The composer barely had time to write notes. One of his friends caught him in the process, and the song was performed that same evening. But after that, the work lay in the table for 6 years, until did not perform it at a concert at the opera house. And only then the song received instant recognition.

In 1816, a lot of works were written, although the operatic genre was somewhat pushed back before songs and cantatas. The cantata "Prometheus" was written to order, and for her Schubert received his first fee, 40 Austrian florins (a very small sum). This work of the composer was lost, but those who listened noted that the cantata was very good. Myself Schubert was very pleased with this work.

Three years have passed in endless self-punishment and unprecedented self-sacrifice and, finally, Schubert decided to free himself from the position binding him. And even if for this it was necessary to leave Vienna, to quarrel with his father, he was ready for anything.

Franz's new acquaintances

Franz von Schober

In December 1815, it was decided to attach a musical school to the ordinary school in Leibach. They opened the position of a teacher with a meager, only 500 Viennese florins, salary. Schubert submits an application, and although it was backed up by a very strong recommendation from Salieri, another was appointed to the position, and the plan to escape from home collapsed. However, help came from an unexpected source.

Student schober, who was born in Sweden and came to Germany, was so amazed by the songs Schubert that he decided to get to know the author at all costs. Seeing how, absorbed in the work of a teacher's assistant, the composer corrects the mistakes of young students, schober decided to save the young genius from the hated vicious circle of everyday duties and offered to take one of the rooms of the apartment he rented. So they did, and after a while Schubert met with the poet Mayrhofer, many of whose poems he later set to music. Thus began a friendship and intellectual communication between the two talents. In this friendship there was a third, no less important - , famous performer of the Viennese operas.

Schubert becomes famous

Johann Michael Vogl

Songs Franz more and more attracted the singer, and one day he came to him without an invitation and looked through his work. Friendship Schubert With Fogle had a huge impact on the young composer. Vogl helped him in choosing poems for songs, recited poems with expression so that the music written Schubert, maximally emphasized the ideas expressed in verses. Schubert came to Fogle in the morning, and they either composed together or corrected what had already been written. Schubert relied heavily on the opinion of a friend, and accepted most of his comments.

The fact that not all comments improved the composer's work is evident from the manuscripts of some songs written by Schubert. A young and enthusiastic genius does not always capture the taste and needs of the public, but the practicing performer usually understands its requirements better. Johan Vogl was not quite the corrector that a genius needed, but on the other hand, he became the one who made Schubert famous.

Vienna - the kingdom of the piano

Beginning in 1821 for three years Schubert wrote mainly dance music. At the same time, the composer was ordered to write two additional parts for Herold's opera The Bell, or the Devil Page, which he undertook with great pleasure, because he really wanted to write something dramatic.

The Natural Spread of Music's Popularity Schubert passed through the musical circles that were open to him. Vienna has earned a reputation as the center of the musical world. In every home, the piano was an indispensable part of the evening gatherings, which were filled with music, dancing, reading, and discussion. Schubert was one of the most famous and welcome guests at the meetings of the Biedermeier Vienna.

A typical "Schubertiade" consisted of music and entertainment, unobtrusive conversation, banter with guests. As a rule, it all began with the performance of songs Schubert, often only written and to the accompaniment of the composer, after which Franz and his friends played the piano in duets or with cheerful vocal accompaniment. The "Schubertiads" were often sponsored by high-ranking officials. It was the happiest time in the composer's life.

The year 1823 was one of the most productive and musically important years of my life. Schubert. He spent it in Vienna, working tirelessly. As a result, the drama Rosamund, the operas Fierabras and Singspiel were written. It was during this period that the delightful cycle of songs "The Beautiful Miller's Woman" was written. Many of these songs were created in the hospital where he ended up due to a severe illness that developed after contracting syphilis.

Fear of tomorrow

A year later, everything that happened in the composer's life was clearly reflected in his notes and clearly showed all the signs of depression, more and more absorbing Schubert. Broken hopes (especially those associated with his operas), hopeless poverty, poor health, loneliness, pain and disappointment in love - all this led to despair.

But the most surprising thing was that this depression did not affect his performance at all. He does not stop writing music, creating masterpiece after masterpiece.

In 1826 Schubert received a letter of gratitude with a hundred florins attached to it from the committee of the "Society of Music Lovers" for tireless admiration of the composer's work. In response to this a year later Schubert sent his Ninth Symphony, which is generally considered one of his finest works. However, the Society's performers found the work too difficult for them, and dismissed it as "unfit to perform". It is noteworthy that later works often received the same definition. Beethoven. And in both cases, only subsequent generations were able to appreciate the "difficulties" of these works.

Franz Schubert's End

Sometimes he was tormented by headaches, but did not portend anything serious at all. By September 1828 Schubert felt constantly dizzy. Doctors advised a calm lifestyle and spending more time outdoors.

On November 3, he covered a long distance on foot to listen to a Latin Requiem written by his brother, the last work he heard Schubert. Returning home, after a 3-hour walk, he complained of exhaustion. Syphilis, which the composer had been infected with for 6 years, has passed into the last stage. The circumstances of the infection are not known for certain. He was treated with mercury, which was most likely the cause of his dizziness and headaches.

the room where Schubert died

The composer's condition worsened dramatically. His mind began to lose touch with reality. One day he began to demand that he be allowed to leave the room where he was, because he did not understand where he was and why he was here.

died in 1828, before reaching his 32nd birthday. He was buried near Beethoven, before which he bowed all his short life.

He left this world tragically early, leaving him an invaluable legacy. He created amazing music, touching with the manifestation of feelings and warming the soul. None of the composer's nine symphonies was performed during his lifetime. Of the six hundred songs, about two hundred were published, and of the two dozen piano sonatas, only three.

DATA

“When I want to teach him something new, I find out that he already knows it. It turns out that I don’t teach him anything, I just watch him in mute delight,” said choir teacher Mikael Holzer. Despite this remark, it is absolutely certain that under his leadership Franz improved my bass playing skills, piano and organ.

A delightful soprano and mastery of the violin could not be forgotten by anyone who at least once heard Franz Schubert.

On holidays Franz loved to go to the theatre. Most of all he liked the operas of Weigl, Cherubini, Gluck. As a result, the boy himself began to write operas.

Schubert had a deep respect and reverence for talent. One day, after performing one of his works, he exclaimed: "I wonder if I can ever write something really worthy." To which one of his friends remarked that he had already written more than one very worthy work. In response to this, Schubert said: "Sometimes I think who can even hope to write something worth Beethoven?!».

Updated: April 13, 2019 by: Elena

Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797, Himmelpfortgrund, Austria - November 19, 1828, Vienna) - Austrian composer, one of the founders of romanticism in music, author of about 600 songs, nine symphonies, as well as a large number of chamber and solo piano music. Interest in Schubert's music during his lifetime was moderate, but grew significantly posthumously. Schubert's works are still popular and are among the most famous examples of classical music.
Biography
Franz Schubert(1797-1828), Austrian composer. Franz Peter Schubert, the fourth son of the schoolteacher and amateur cellist Franz Theodor Schubert, was born on January 31, 1797 in Lichtental (a suburb of Vienna). Teachers paid tribute to the amazing ease with which the boy mastered musical knowledge. Thanks to his success in learning and good command of the voice, Schubert in 1808 was admitted to the Imperial Chapel and to Konvikt, the best boarding school in Vienna. During 1810-1813 he wrote many compositions: an opera, a symphony, piano pieces and songs. A. Salieri became interested in the young musician, and from 1812 to 1817 Schubert studied composition with him. In 1813 he entered the teacher's seminary and a year later began teaching at the school where his father served. In his spare time, he composed his first mass and set to music a poem by Goethe Gretchen at the spinning wheel - this was Schubert's first masterpiece and the first great German song.
The years 1815-1816 are notable for the phenomenal productivity of the young genius. In 1815 he composed two symphonies, two masses, four operettas, several string quartets, and about 150 songs. In 1816, two more symphonies appeared - the Tragic and often sounding Fifth in B flat major, as well as another mass and over 100 songs. Among the songs of these years are the Wanderer and the famous Forest King. Through his devoted friend J. von Spaun, Schubert met the artist M. von Schwind and the wealthy amateur poet F. von Schober, who arranged a meeting between Schubert and the famous baritone M. Vogl. Thanks to Vogl's inspirational performance of Schubert's songs, they gained popularity in the Viennese salons. The composer himself continued to work at the school, but in the end, in July 1818, he left the service and left for Geliz, the summer residence of Count Johann Esterhazy, where he served as a music teacher. In the spring, the Sixth Symphony was completed, and in Gelize, Schubert composed Variations on a French song, op. 10 for two pianos, dedicated to Beethoven. Upon his return to Vienna, Schubert received an order for an operetta called The Twin Brothers. It was completed by January 1819 and performed at the Kärtnertorteater in June 1820. In 1819, Schubert spent his summer holidays with Vogl in Upper Austria, where he composed the well-known Forel piano quintet.
The following years proved to be difficult for Schubert, since he, by nature, did not know how to achieve the favor of influential Viennese musical figures. The romance of the Forest Tsar, published as op. 1, marked the beginning of the regular publication of Schubert's writings. In February 1822 he completed the opera Alfonso et Estrella; in October the Unfinished Symphony saw the light of day. The next year is marked in Schubert's biography by illness and despondency of the composer. His opera was not staged; he composed two more, The Conspirators and Fierrabras, but they suffered the same fate. A wonderful vocal cycle The beautiful miller's wife and the music for Rosamund's dramatic play, well received by the audience, testify that Schubert did not give up. At the beginning of 1824 he worked on the string quartets in A minor and D minor and on the octet in F major, but the need forced him to become a teacher again in the Esterhazy family. A summer stay in Zeliz had a beneficial effect on Schubert's health. There he composed two opuses for piano four hands - the Grand Duet sonata in C major and Variations on an original theme in A flat major. In 1825 he again went with Vogl to Upper Austria, where his friends were given the warmest welcome.
In 1826, Schubert petitioned for a place as bandmaster in the court chapel, but the request was not granted. His last string quartet and songs based on Shakespeare's words appeared during a summer trip to Währing, a village near Vienna. In Vienna itself, Schubert's songs were widely known and loved at that time; musical evenings devoted exclusively to his music were regularly held in private homes. In 1827, among other things, the vocal cycle The Winter Road and cycles of piano pieces were written.
In 1828 there were alarming signs of an impending illness; the hectic pace of Schubert's composing activity can be interpreted both as a symptom of an illness and as a cause that hastened the death. Masterpiece followed masterpiece: a majestic Symphony in C, a vocal cycle posthumously published under the title of Swan Song, a string quintet in C, and the last three piano sonatas. As before, publishers refused to take Schubert's major works, or paid negligibly little; ill health prevented him from going on an invitation with a concert in Pest. Schubert died of typhus on November 19, 1828. Schubert was buried next to Beethoven, who had died a year earlier. On January 22, 1888, Schubert's ashes were reburied at the Vienna Central Cemetery.
Song-romance genre in the interpretation of Schubert is such an original contribution to the music of the 19th century that we can talk about the emergence of a special form, which is usually denoted by the German word Lied. Schubert's songs - and there are more than 650 of them - give many variants of this form, so that classification here is hardly possible. In principle, Lied is of two types: strophic, in which all or almost all of the verses are sung to one melody; "through", in which each verse can have its own musical solution. The field rosette is an example of the first species; The young nun is the second. Two factors contributed to the rise of Lied: the ubiquity of the pianoforte and the rise of German lyric poetry. Schubert managed to do what his predecessors could not: by composing on a certain poetic text, he created a context with his music that gives the word a new meaning. It could be a sound-pictorial context - for example, the murmur of water in the songs from the Beautiful Miller's Girl or the whirring of a spinning wheel in Gretchen at the spinning wheel, or an emotional context - for example, the chords that convey the reverent mood of the evening in Sunset or the midnight horror in The Double. sometimes between Thanks to the special gift of Schubert, a mysterious connection is established by the landscape and the mood of the poem: for example, the imitation of the monotonous hum of a hurdy-gurdy in the Organ Grinder wonderfully conveys both the severity of the winter landscape and the despair of a homeless wanderer. German poetry, which was flourishing at that time, became an invaluable source of inspiration for Schubert. Wrong are those who question the literary taste of the composer on the grounds that among the more than six hundred poetic texts he voiced there are very weak verses - for example, who would remember the poetic lines of the romances Forel or To music, if not for the genius of Schubert? But still, the greatest masterpieces were created by the composer on the texts of his favorite poets, luminaries of German literature - Goethe, Schiller, Heine. Schubert's songs - whoever the author of the words may be - are characterized by the immediacy of the impact on the listener: thanks to the genius of the composer, the listener immediately becomes not an observer, but an accomplice.
Schubert's polyphonic vocal compositions are somewhat less expressive than romances. Vocal ensembles contain excellent pages, but none of them, except perhaps the five-part No, only the one who knew, captures the listener like romances. The unfinished spiritual opera The Resurrection of Lazarus is more of an oratorio; the music here is beautiful, and the score contains anticipations of some of Wagner's techniques.
Schubert composed six masses. They also have very bright parts, but still, in Schubert, this genre does not rise to those heights of perfection that were achieved in the masses of Bach, Beethoven, and later Bruckner. It is only in the last Mass that Schubert's musical genius overcomes his detached attitude towards Latin texts.
Orchestral music. In his youth, Schubert led and conducted a student orchestra. Then he mastered the skill of instrumentation, but life rarely gave him reasons to write for the orchestra; after six youthful symphonies, only a symphony in B minor and a symphony in C major were created. In the series of early symphonies, the most interesting is the fifth (in B minor), but only Schubert's Unfinished introduces us to a new world, far from the classical styles of the composer's predecessors. Like theirs, the development of themes and textures in Unfinished is full of intellectual brilliance, but in terms of the strength of the emotional impact, Unfinished is close to Schubert's songs. In the majestic C-major symphony, such qualities are even brighter.
Among other orchestral works, overtures stand out. In two of them, written in 1817, the influence of G. Rossini is felt, and their subtitles indicate: "in the Italian style." Of interest are also three opera overtures: Alfonso and Estrella, Rosamund and Fierrabras - the most perfect example of this form in Schubert.
Chamber instrumental genres. Chamber works to the greatest extent reveal the inner world of the composer; in addition, they clearly reflect the spirit of his beloved Vienna. The tenderness and poetry of Schubert's nature are captured in the masterpieces, which are usually called the "seven stars" of his chamber heritage. The Trout Quintet is a herald of a new, romantic worldview in the chamber-instrumental genre; charming melodies and cheerful rhythms brought great popularity to the composition. Five years later, two string quartets appeared: the quartet in A minor, perceived by many as the composer's confession, and the quartet Girl and Death, where melody and poetry are combined with deep tragedy. The last Schubert quartet in G major is the quintessence of the composer's skill; the scale of the cycle and the complexity of the forms present some obstacle to the popularity of this work, but the last quartet, like the symphony in C major, is the absolute pinnacle of Schubert's work. The lyrical-dramatic character of the early quartets is also characteristic of the quintet in C major, but it cannot be compared in perfection with the quartet in G major.
Piano compositions. Schubert composed many pieces for pianoforte 4 hands. Many of them are charming music for home use. But among this part of the composer's heritage there are more serious works. Such are the Grand Duo sonata with its symphonic scope, the variations in A-flat major with their sharp characteristic, and the fantasy in F minor op. 103 is a first-class and widely recognized composition. About two dozen of Schubert's piano sonatas are second only to Beethoven's in their significance. Half a dozen youthful sonatas are of interest mainly to admirers of Schubert's art; the rest are known all over the world. Sonatas in A minor, D major and G major demonstrate the composer's understanding of the sonata principle: dance and song forms are combined here with classical techniques for developing themes. In three sonatas that appeared shortly before the death of the composer, song and dance elements appear in a purified, sublime form; the emotional world of these works is richer than in the early opuses. The last sonata in B-flat major is the result of Schubert's work on the thematic and form of the sonata cycle.
Creation
Schubert's creative heritage covers a variety of genres. He created 9 symphonies, over 25 chamber-instrumental works, 15 piano sonatas, many pieces for piano in two and four hands, 10 operas, 6 masses, a number of works for the choir, for a vocal ensemble, and finally, about 600 songs. During his lifetime, and indeed for quite a long time after the death of the composer, he was valued mainly as a songwriter. Only from the 19th century did researchers begin to gradually comprehend his achievements in other areas of creativity. Thanks to Schubert the song for the first time became equal in importance to other genres. Her poetic images reflect almost the entire history of Austrian and German poetry, including some foreign authors. In the field of song, Schubert became Beethoven's successor. Thanks to Schubert, this genre took on an artistic form, enriching the realm of concert vocal music. Schubert's musical gift was also reflected in piano music. His Fantasies in C major and F minor, impromptu, musical moments, sonatas are proof of the richest imagination and great harmonic erudition. In chamber and symphonic music—the string quartet in D minor, the quintet in C major, the piano quintet Forellenquintett, the Grand Symphony in C major, and the Symphony Incomplete in B minor—Schubert is Beethoven's successor. Of the operas performed at that time, Schubert most liked Josef Weigl's The Swiss Family, Luigi Cherubini's Medea, François Adrien Boildieu's John of Paris, Izuard's Sandrillon, and especially Gluck's Iphigenia en Tauris. Schubert had little interest in Italian opera, which was in great fashion in his time; only The Barber of Seville and some excerpts from Otello by Gioachino Rossini seduced him.
Unfinished symphony
The exact date of creation of the symphony in B minor (Unfinished) is unknown. It was dedicated to the amateur musical society in Graz, and Schubert presented two parts of it in 1824. The manuscript was kept for more than 40 years by Schubert's friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner, until the Viennese conductor Johann Herbeck discovered it and performed it in concert in 1865. The symphony was published in 1866. It remained a secret of Schubert himself, why he did not complete the "Unfinished" symphony. It seems that he intended to bring it to its logical conclusion, the first scherzos were completely finished, and the rest were found in sketches. From another point of view, the “Unfinished” symphony is a completely completed work, since the range of images and their development exhausts itself within two parts. So, in his time, Beethoven created sonatas in two parts, and later, among romantic composers, works of this kind became commonplace.

Schubert belongs to the first romantics (the dawn of romanticism). In his music, there is still no such condensed psychologism as that of later romantics. This composer is a lyricist. The basis of his music is inner experiences. It conveys love and many other feelings in music. In the last work, the main theme is loneliness. It covered all genres of the time. He brought in a lot of new things. The lyrical nature of his music predetermined his main genre of creativity - the song. He has over 600 songs. Songwriting has influenced the instrumental genre in two ways:

The use of song themes in instrumental music (the song “Wanderer” became the basis of the piano fantasy, the song “The Girl and Death” became the basis of the quartet).

The penetration of songwriting into other genres.

Schubert is the creator of the lyric-dramatic symphony (unfinished). The theme is song, the presentation is song (unfinished symphony: I-th part - pp, pp. II-th part - pp), the principle of development is the form, like the verse, finished. This is especially noticeable in symphonies and sonatas. In addition to the lyrical song symphony, he also created an epic symphony (C-dur). He is the creator of a new genre - the vocal ballad. Creator of romantic miniatures (impromptu and musical moments). Created vocal cycles (Beethoven had an approach to this).

Creativity is enormous: 16 operas, 22 piano sonatas, 22 quartets, other ensembles, 9 symphonies, 9 overtures, 8 impromptu, 6 musical moments; music related to everyday music-making - waltzes, langlers, marches, more than 600 songs.

Life path.

Born in 1797 on the outskirts of Vienna - in the city of Lichtental. Father is a school teacher. A large family, all were musicians, played music. Franz's father taught him to play the violin, and his brother taught him the piano. Familiar regent - singing and theory.

1808-1813

Years of study in Konvikt. This is a boarding school that trained court choristers. There, Schubert played the violin, played in the orchestra, sang in the choir, and participated in chamber ensembles. There he learned a lot of music - the symphonies of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven's 1st and 2nd symphonies. Favorite work - Mozart's 40th symphony. In Konvikt, he became interested in creativity, so he abandoned the rest of the subjects. In Convict, he took lessons from Salieri from 1812, but their views were different. In 1816, their paths parted. In 1813 he left Konvikt because his studies interfered with his creativity. During this period he wrote songs, a fantasy in 4 hands, the 1st symphony, wind works, quartets, operas, piano works.

1813-1817

He wrote the first song masterpieces (“Margarita at the Spinning Wheel”, “Forest King”, “Trout”, “Wanderer”), 4 symphonies, 5 operas, a lot of instrumental and chamber music. After Convict, Schubert, at the insistence of his father, finishes teaching courses and teaches arithmetic and the alphabet at his father's school.

In 1816 he left school and tried to get a position as a music teacher, but failed. The connection with the father was severed. A period of disasters began: he lived in a damp room, etc.

In 1815 he wrote 144 songs, 2 symphonies, 2 masses, 4 operas, 2 piano sonatas, string quartets and other works.

Fell in love with Teresa Coffin. She sang in the Lichtental church in the choir. Her father married her to a baker. Schubert had a lot of friends - poets, writers, artists, etc. His friend Shpaut wrote about Schubert Goethe. Goethe did not answer. He had a very bad temper. He did not like Beethoven. In 1817, Schubert met the famous singer Johann Vogl, who became an admirer of Schubert. In 1819 he made a concert tour of Upper Austria. In 1818 Schubert lived with his friends. For several months he served as a home teacher for Prince Esterhazy. There he wrote a Hungarian Divertimento for piano 4 hands. Among his friends were: Spaun (he wrote memoirs about Schubert), the poet Mayrhofer, the poet Schober (Schubert wrote the opera Alphonse and Estrella based on his text).

Often there were meetings of Schubert's friends - Schubertiades. Vogl often attended these Schubertiades. Thanks to the Schubertiads, his songs began to spread. Sometimes his individual songs were performed at concerts, but operas were never staged, symphonies were never played. Schubert was published very little. The first edition of the songs was published in 1821 at the expense of admirers and friends.

Early 20s.

The dawn of creativity - 22-23. At this time he wrote the cycle “The Beautiful Miller”, a cycle of piano miniatures, musical moments, the fantasy “Wanderer”. The everyday side of Schubert continued to be difficult, but he did not lose hope. In the mid-20s, his circle broke up.

1826-1828

Last years. The hard life is reflected in his music. This music has a dark, heavy character, the style changes. IN

songs appear more declamatory. Less roundness. The harmonic basis (dissonances) becomes more complicated. Songs on poems by Heine. Quartet in D minor. At this time, the C-dur symphony was written. During these years, Schubert once again applied for the post of court bandmaster. In 1828, the recognition of Schubert's talent finally began. His author's concert took place. In November he died. He was buried in the same cemetery as Beethoven.

Songwriting by Schubert

600 songs, late songs collection, latest songs collection. The choice of poets is important. Started with the work of Goethe. Finished with a tragic song on Heine. Wrote "Relshtab" for Schiller.

Genre - vocal ballad: "Forest King", "Grave Fantasy", "To the Murderer's Father", "Agaria's Complaint". The genre of the monologue is “Margarita at the spinning wheel”. Genre of the folk song "Rose" by Goethe. Song-aria - "Ave Maria". The genre of the serenade is “Serenade” (Serenade Relshtab).

In his melodies, he relied on the intonation of an Austrian folk song. The music is clear and sincere.

Relationship between music and text. Schubert conveys the general content of the verse. Melodies are wide, generalized, plastic. Part of the music marks the details of the text, then there is more recitativeness in the performance, which later becomes the basis of Schubert's melodic style.

For the first time in music, the piano part acquired such a meaning: not an accompaniment, but a carrier of a musical image. Expresses an emotional state. There are musical moments. “Margarita at the Spinning Wheel”, “Forest King”, “Beautiful Miller”.

The ballad "The Forest King" by Goethe is built as a dramatic refrain. It pursues several goals: dramatic action, expression of feelings, narration, voice of the author (narration).

Vocal cycle “The Beautiful Miller’s Woman”

1823. 20 songs to verses by W. Müller. Cycle with sonata development. The main theme is love. In the cycle there is a hero (miller), an episodic hero (hunter), the main role (stream). Depending on the state of the hero, the stream murmurs either joyfully, lively, or violently, expressing the pain of the miller. On behalf of the stream sounds the 1st and 20th song. This joins the cycle. The last songs reflect peace, enlightenment in death. The overall mood of the cycle is still bright. The intonation system is close to everyday Austrian songs. It is wide in intonation of chants and in the sounds of chords. In the vocal cycle there is a lot of song, chant and little recitation. The melodies are wide, generalized. Basically, the forms of songs are couplet or simple 2 and 3 partial.

1st song - "Let's hit the road". B-dur, cheerful. This song is on behalf of the stream. He is always portrayed in the piano part. Accurate couplet form. The music is close to folk everyday Austrian songs.

2nd song - "Where". The miller sings, G-dur. The piano has a gentle murmur of a stream. The intonations are wide, singsong, close to Austrian melodies.

6th song - Curiosity. This song has a quieter, more subtle lyrics. More detailed. H-dur. The form is more complex - a non-reprise 2-part form.

Part 1 - "Neither stars nor flowers."

Part 2 is bigger than part 1. A simple 3-part form. Appeal to the stream - 1st section of the 2nd part. The murmur of the stream reappears. Here comes the major-minor. This is characteristic of Schubert. In the middle of the 2nd part, the melody becomes recitative. An unexpected turn in G-dur. In the reprise of the 2nd section, the major-minor appears again.

Song form outline

A-C

CBC

11 song - "My". There is a gradual increase in a lyrical joyful feeling in it. It is close to Austrian folk songs.

12-14 songs express the fullness of happiness. A turning point in development occurs in song No. 14 (Hunter) - c-moll. Folding reminds of hunting music (6/8, parallel sixth chords). Further (in the following songs) there is an increase in sadness. This is reflected in the piano part.

15 song “Jealousy and Pride.” Reflects despair, confusion (g-moll). 3-part form. The vocal part becomes more declamatory.

16 song - "Favorite color". h-moll. This is the mournful climax of the whole cycle. There is stiffness in the music (astinate rhythm), constant repetition of fa#, sharp delays. The juxtaposition of h-moll and H-dur is characteristic. Words: "In the green coolness ...". In the text for the first time in the cycle, the memory of death. Further, it will permeate the entire cycle. Cuplet form.

Gradually, towards the end of the cycle, a sad enlightenment occurs.

19 song - "The miller and the stream." g-moll. 3-part form. It is like a conversation between a miller and a stream. Middle in G-dur. The murmur of the brook at the piano appears again. Reprise - again the miller sings, again g-moll, but the murmur of the stream remains. At the end, enlightenment is G-dur.

20 song - "Lullaby of the brook." The stream calms the miller at the bottom of the stream. E-dur. This is one of Schubert's favorite keys ("Linden's Song" in "The Winter Journey", 2nd movement of the unfinished symphony). Cuplet form. Words: “Sleep, sleep” from the face of the stream.

Vocal cycle “Winter Way”

Written in 1827. 24 songs. Just like “The Beautiful Miller's Woman”, to the words of V. Muller. Despite 4 years of difference, they are strikingly different from each other. The 1st cycle is light in music, but this one is tragic, reflecting the despair that seized Schubert.

The theme is similar to the 1st cycle (also the theme of love). The action in the 1st song is much less. The hero leaves the city where his girlfriend lives. His parents leave him and he (in winter) leaves the city. The rest of the songs are lyrical confession. Minor predominance. Tragic songs. The style is completely different. If we compare the vocal parts, then the melodies of the 1st cycle are more generalized, reveal the general content of the verses, broad, close to the Austrian folk songs, and in the “Winter Way” the vocal part is more declamatory, there is no song, much less close to folk songs, it becomes more individualized.

The piano part is complicated by sharp dissonances, transitions to distant keys, and enharmonic modulations.

Forms are also getting more complex. Forms are saturated with cross-cutting development. For example, if the couplet form, then the couplet varies, if it is 3-part, then the reprises are greatly changed, dynamized (“By the brook”).

There are few major songs, and even minor penetrates into them. These bright islands: "Linden", "Spring Dream" (the culmination of the cycle, No. 11) - romantic content and harsh reality are concentrated here. Section 3 - laugh at yourself and your feelings.

1 song – “Sleep well” in d-moll. Measured rhythm of July. “I came in a strange way, I will leave a stranger.” The song begins with a high climax. Couplet-variation. These couplets are varied. 2nd verse - d-moll - "I mustn't hesitate to share." Verse 3-1 - "You shouldn't wait here anymore." 4th verse - D-dur - "Why disturb peace." Major, as the memory of the beloved. Already inside the verse, the minor returns. End in minor.

3rd song – “Frozen Tears” (f-moll). Oppressive, heavy mood - "Tears flow from the eyes and freeze on the cheeks." In the melody, an increase in recitativeness is very noticeable - “Oh, these tears.” Tonal deviations, complicated harmonic warehouse. 2-part form of end-to-end development. There is no reprise as such.

4th song – “Stupor”, c-moll. A very well developed song. Dramatic, desperate character. "I'm looking for her traces." Complicated 3-part form. The last parts consist of 2 topics. 2nd theme in g-moll. “I want to fall to the ground.” Interrupted cadences prolong development. Middle part. Enlightened As-dur. “Oh, where were the flowers?” Reprise - 1st and 2nd theme.

5th song - "Linden". E-dur. E-moll penetrates the song. Couplet-variation form. The piano part depicts the rustling of leaves. Verse 1 - "At the entrance to the city of linden." Calm, peaceful melody. There are very important piano moments in this song. They are pictorial and expressive. The 2nd verse is already in e-moll. "And hastening on a long way." A new theme appears in the piano part, the theme of wanderings with triplets. Major appears in the 2nd half of the 2nd verse. "Here the branches rustled." The piano fragment draws gusts of wind. Against this background, a dramatic recitative sounds between the 2nd and 3rd verses. "Wall, cold wind." 3rd couplet. “Now I am already wandering far in a foreign country.” The features of the 1st and 2nd verse are combined. In the piano part, the theme of wanderings from the 2nd verse.

7th song - "At the brook." An example of a through dramatic development of form. It is based on a 3-part form with strong dynamization. E-moll. The music is stagnant and sad. "O my turbulent stream." The composer strictly follows the text, there are modulations in cis-moll on the word “now”. Middle part. “I am a sharp stone on ice.” E-dur (talking about the beloved). There is a rhythmic revival. Pulse acceleration. Triplets appear in sixteenths. “I will leave the happiness of the first meeting here on the ice.” The reprise has been heavily modified. Strongly expanded - in 2 hands. The theme goes into the piano part. And in the vocal part, the recitative “I recognize myself in a stream that has frozen itself.” Rhythmic changes appear further. 32 durations appear. Dramatic climax towards the end of the play. Many deviations - e-moll, G-dur, dis-moll, gis-moll - fis-moll – g-moll.

11 song - "Spring dream". Meaningful climax. A-dur. Light. It has 3 areas:

memories, dream

sudden awakening

mocking your dreams.

1st section. Waltz. Words: "I dreamed of a merry meadow."

2nd section. Sharp contrast (e-moll). Words: "Cock crowed suddenly." The rooster and raven are a symbol of death. This song has a rooster, and song #15 has a raven. The juxtaposition of keys is characteristic - e-moll - d-moll - g-moll - a-moll. Harmony of the second low level sounds sharply on the tonic organ point. Sharp intonations (there are nones).

3rd section. Words: “But who decorated all my windows with flowers there.” A minor dominant appears.

Cuplet form. 2 verses, each consisting of these 3 contrasting sections.

14 song - "Gray hair". tragic character. C-moll. A wave of hidden drama. dissonant harmonies. There is a similarity with the 1st song (“Sleep well”), but in a distorted, aggravated version. Words: "Hoarfrost adorned my forehead ...".

15 song - "Crow". C-moll. Tragic enlightenment from-

for triplets figurations. Words: “The black raven set off on a long journey for me.” 3-part form. Middle part. Words: "Raven, strange black friend." Declamatory melody. Reprise. It is followed by a piano conclusion in a low register.

20 song - "Waypost". The step rhythm appears. Words: “Why did it become difficult for me to walk along the big roads?”. Distant modulations - g-moll - b-moll - f-moll. Couplet-variation form. Comparison of major and minor. 2nd verse - G-dur. 3rd verse - g-moll. Important code. The song conveys stiffness, numbness, the breath of death. This is manifested in the vocal part (constant repetition of one sound). Words: "I see a pillar - one of many ...". Distant modulations - g-moll - b-moll - cis-moll - g-moll.

24 song - "The organ grinder." Very simple and deeply tragic. A-moll. The hero meets an unfortunate organ grinder and invites him to endure grief together. The entire song is on a fifth tonic organ point. Quints depict a hurdy-gurdy. Words: “Here stands an organ grinder sadly outside the village.” Constant repetition of phrases. Cuplet form. 2 couplets. There is a dramatic climax at the end. Dramatic recitative. It ends with the question: “Do you want us to endure grief together, do you want us to sing together under the hurdy-gurdy?” There are diminished seventh chords on the tonic organ point.

Symphonic creativity

Schubert wrote 9 symphonies. During his lifetime, none of them was performed. He is the founder of the lyric-romantic symphony (unfinished symphony) and the lyrical-epic symphony (No. 9 - C-dur).

Unfinished symphony

Written in 1822 in h-moll. Written at the time of creative dawn. Lyric-dramatic. For the first time, a personal lyrical theme became the basis in a symphony. Song pervades it. It pervades the entire symphony. It manifests itself in the character and presentation of topics - melody and accompaniment (as in a song), in form - a complete form (as a couplet), in development - it is variational, the proximity of the sound of the melody to the voice. The symphony has 2 parts - h-moll and E-dur. Schubert began to write the 3rd movement, but gave up. It is characteristic that before that he had already written 2 piano 2-part sonatas - Fis-dur and e-moll. In the era of romanticism, as a result of free lyrical expression, the structure of the symphony changes (a different number of parts). Liszt has a tendency to compress the symphonic cycle (Faust symphony in 3 parts, Dont's symphony in 2 parts). Liszt created a one-movement symphonic poem. Berlioz has an extension of the symphonic cycle (Fantastic symphony - 5 parts, symphony "Romeo and Juliet" - 7 parts). This happens under the influence of software.

Romantic traits are manifested not only in song and 2-particular, but also in tonal relationships. This is not a classic ratio. Schubert takes care of the colorful tonal ratio (G.P. - h-moll, P.P. - G-dur, and in P.P.'s reprise - in D-dur). The tertian ratio of tonalities is characteristic of the romantics. In the II part of G.P. – E-dur, P.P. - cis-moll, and in the reprise P.P. - a-moll. Here, too, there is a tertian correlation of tonalities. The variation of themes is also a romantic feature - not the fragmentation of themes into motives, but the variation of the whole theme. The symphony ends in E-dur, and it ends in h-moll (this is also typical for romantics).

I part – h-moll. The opening theme is like a romantic question. She is in lower case.

G.P. – h-moll. Typical song with melody and accompaniment. Clarinet and oboe soloist, and strings accompany. The form, like that of the couplet, is finished.

P.P. - no contrast. She is also a songwriter, but she is also a dancer. The theme takes place at the cello. Dotted rhythm, syncopation. Rhythm is, as it were, a link between the parts (because it is also in P.P. in the second part). A dramatic change occurs in the middle of it, it is sharp in autumn (transition to c-moll). At this turning point, the G.P. theme intrudes. This is a classic feature.

Z.P. – built on the theme of P.P. G-dur. Canonical holding of the theme in different instruments.

The exposition is repeated - like the classics.

Development. On the verge of exposition and development, the theme of the introduction arises. Here it is in e-mall. The theme of the introduction (but dramatized) and the syncopated rhythm from the accompaniment of P.P. participate in the development. The role of polyphonic techniques is huge here. 2 sections are under development:

1st section. The theme of the introduction to e-moll. The ending has been changed. The theme comes to a climax. Enharmonic modulation from h-moll to cis-moll. Next comes the syncopated rhythm from P.P. Tonal plan: cis-moll - d-moll - e-moll.

2nd section. This is a modified intro theme. Sounds ominous, commanding. E-moll, then h-moll. The theme is first with the copper ones, and then it passes as a canon in all voices. A dramatic culmination built on the theme of the introduction by the canon and on the syncopated rhythm of P.P.. Next to it is the major culmination - D-dur. Before the reprise, there is a roll call of the woodwinds.

Reprise. G.P. – h-moll. P.P. - D-dur. In P.P. again there is a change in development. Z.P. – H-dur. Calls between different instruments. The canonical performance of P.P. On the verge of a reprise and coda, the theme of the introduction sounds in the same key as at the beginning - in h-moll. All code is based on it. The topic sounds canonical and very mournful.

II part. E-dur. Sonata form without development. There is landscape poetry here. In general, it is light, but there are flashes of drama in it.

G.P.. Song. The theme is for violins, and for basses - pizzicato (for double basses). Colorful harmonic combinations - E-dur - e-moll - C-dur - G-dur. The theme has lullaby intonations. 3-part form. She (the form) is finished. The middle is dramatic. Reprise G.P. abbreviated.

P.P.. The lyrics here are more personal. The theme is also song. In it, just like in P.P. Part II, syncopated accompaniment. He connects these themes. Solo is also a romantic trait. Here the solo is first at the clarinet, then at the oboe. The tonalities are chosen very colorfully - cis-moll - fis-moll - D-dur - F-dur - d-moll - Cis-dur. 3-part form. Variation middle. There is a reprise.

Reprise. E-dur. G.P. - 3 private. P.P. - a-moll.

code. Here all the themes seem to dissolve one by one. Elements of G.P.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Austrian composer.

Born January 31, 1797 in Lichtental near Vienna in the family of a school teacher. Franz was taught violin and piano by his father and older brothers.

From 1814, Schubert taught at his father's school, although he did not feel any particular inclination to do so. In 1818, he left teaching and devoted himself entirely to creativity. Already during his short work at the school, Schubert created about 250 songs, including the masterpiece of world vocal lyrics “The Forest King” (1814; to the verses by J. V. Goethe).

Like-minded people, admirers and propagandists of his work united around the composer. It was thanks to their efforts that fame and recognition came to Schubert. He himself was distinguished by impracticality in life.

The basis of Schubert's work was the song. In total, he wrote more than 600 works of this genre. Among them is the vocal cycle "The Beautiful Miller's Woman" (1823; to the verses of W. Muller) - a simple and touching love story of a modest apprentice and the daughter of the owner of the mill. This is one of the first vocal cycles in the history of music.

In 1823, Schubert became an honorary member of the Styrian and Linz musical unions. In 1827, he wrote another vocal cycle based on Muller's poems - "The Winter Road". Already posthumously, in 1829, the last vocal collection of the composer, Swan Song, was released.

In addition to vocal compositions, Schubert wrote a lot for the piano: 23 sonatas (of which 6 were unfinished), the Wanderer fantasy (1822), Impromptu, Musical Moments, etc. In the period from 1814 to 1828, 7 masses were written and The German Requiem (1818) are Schubert's major works for soloists, choir and orchestra.

For the chamber ensemble, the composer created 16 string quartets, 2 string and 2 piano trios, etc. He also wrote operas (Alfonso and Estrella, 1822; Fiera Bras, 1823).

P.S. Visitor on the estate Elena L added a short, capacious, wonderful comment. I quote in full and subscribe to every word. Elena, thank you very much!
Hello! Regarding Schubert: why not remind the reader of his masterpiece “The Third Song of Ellen”, better known to the general public as “Ave Maria”? And be sure to say that this immortal music was written by a boy of 30 years old ...
P.P.S. I don't post my own comment to avoid repetition.