French biography. Franz Peter Schubert - musical genius of the 19th century
Franz Peter Schubert is a great Austrian composer, one of the founders of romanticism in music. He wrote about 600 songs, nine symphonies (including the famous "Unfinished Symphony"), liturgical music, operas, and a large number of chamber and solo piano music.
Franz Peter Schubert was born on January 31, 1797 in Lichtental (now Alsergrund), a small suburb of Vienna, in the family of a school teacher who was an amateur musician. Of the fifteen children in the family, ten died at an early age. Franz showed musical ability very early. From the age of six he studied at the parish school, and the household taught him to play the violin and piano.
At the age of eleven, Franz was admitted to the Konvikt, a court chapel, where, in addition to singing, he studied playing many instruments and music theory (under the guidance of Antonio Salieri). Leaving the chapel in 1813, Schubert got a job as a school teacher. He studied mainly Gluck, Mozart and Beethoven. The first independent works - the opera Des Teufels Lustschloss and the Mass in F major - he wrote in 1814.
In the field of song, Schubert was the successor of Beethoven. Thanks to Schubert, this genre received an artistic form, enriching the field of concert vocal music. The ballad "The Forest King" ("Erlk?nig"), written in 1816, brought fame to the composer. Soon after it appeared "The Wanderer" ("Der Wanderer"), "Praise to Tears" ("Lob der Thr?nen"), "Zuleika" ("Suleika"), etc.
Of great importance in vocal literature are large collections of Schubert's songs to the verses of Wilhelm Müller - "The Beautiful Miller's Woman" ("Die sch?ne M?llerin") and "The Winter Road" ("Die Winterreise"), which are, as it were, a continuation of Beethoven's idea, expressed in the collection of songs "Beloved" ("An die Geliebte"). In all these works, Schubert showed remarkable melodic talent and a great variety of moods; he gave the accompaniment more meaning, more artistic meaning. The collection “Swan Song” (“Schwanengesang”) is also remarkable, from which many songs have gained worldwide fame (for example, “St?ndchen”, “Aufenthalt”, “Das Fischerm?dchen”, “Am Meere”). Schubert did not try, like his predecessors, to imitate the national character, but his songs involuntarily reflected the national stream, and they became the property of the country. Schubert wrote almost 600 songs. Beethoven enjoyed his songs in the last days of his life. Schubert's amazing musical gift also affected the piano and symphonic fields. His fantasies in c-dur and f-moll, impromptu, musical moments, sonatas are proof of the richest imagination and great harmonic erudition. In the d-moll string quartet, the c-dur quintet, the Forellen Quartett piano quartet, the grand symphony in c-dur and the unfinished symphony in h-moll, Schubert is Beethoven's successor. In the field of opera, Schubert was not so gifted; although he wrote about 20 of them, they will add a little to his glory. Among them stands out "Der h?usliche Krieg oder die Verschworenen". Individual numbers of his operas (for example, "Rosamund") are quite worthy of a great musician. Of Schubert's numerous ecclesiastical works (masses, offertorias, hymns, etc.), the es-dur mass is especially distinguished by its sublime character and musical richness. Schubert's musical performance was enormous. Beginning in 1813, he composed incessantly.
In the highest circle, where Schubert was invited to accompany his vocal compositions, he was extremely reserved, not interested in praise and even avoided it; among friends, on the contrary, he highly valued approval. The rumor about Schubert's intemperance has some basis: he often drank too much and then became quick-tempered and unpleasant for a circle of friends. Of the operas performed at that time, Schubert most liked Weigel's The Swiss Family, Cherubini's Medea, Boildieu's John of Paris, Izuard's Sandrillon, and especially Gluck's Iphigenia in Tauris. Schubert had little interest in Italian opera, which was in great fashion in his time; only The Barber of Seville and some passages from Rossini's Otello appealed to him. According to biographers, Schubert never changed anything in his writings, because he did not have it for that time. He did not spare his health and, in the prime of life and talent, died at the age of 32. The last year of his life, despite his poor health, was especially fruitful: it was then that he wrote a symphony in c-dur and a mass in es-dur. During his lifetime, he did not enjoy outstanding success. After his death, a lot of manuscripts remained, which later saw the light (6 masses, 7 symphonies, 15 operas, etc.).
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Biography, life story of Schubert Franz Peter
Franz Peter Schubert (January 31, 1797 - November 19, 1828) was an Austrian composer, one of the founders of musical romanticism.
Introduction
Schubert lived only thirty-one years. He died physically and mentally exhausted, exhausted by failures in life. 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.
In his dissatisfaction with the surrounding life, Schubert was not alone. This dissatisfaction and the protest of the best people in society were reflected in a new direction in art - in romanticism. Schubert was one of the first Romantic composers.
Childhood and youth
Franz Schubert was born on January 31, 1797 in the suburbs of Vienna - Lichtental. His father Franz Theodor Schubert, a school teacher, came from a peasant family. Mother Elisabeth Schubert (nee Fitz) was the daughter of a locksmith. The family was very fond of music and constantly arranged musical evenings. My father played the cello, and Franz's brothers played various instruments.
Having discovered musical abilities in little Franz, his father and older brother Ignaz began to teach him to play the violin and piano. Soon the boy was able to take part in the home performance of string quartets, playing the viola part. Franz had a wonderful voice. He sang in the church choir, performing difficult solo parts. The father was pleased with the success of his son. When Franz was eleven years old, he was assigned to a convict, a school for the training of church choristers.
The atmosphere of the educational institution favored the development of the boy's musical abilities. In the school student orchestra, he played in the group of first violins, and sometimes even acted as a conductor. The orchestra's repertoire was varied. Schubert got acquainted with symphonic works of various genres (symphonies, overtures), quartets, vocal compositions. He confessed to his friends that the symphony in G minor shocked him. Music became a high model for him.
CONTINUED BELOW
Already in those years, Schubert began to compose. His first works are a fantasy for piano, a series of songs. The young composer writes a lot, with great enthusiasm, often to the detriment of other school activities. The boy's outstanding abilities drew the attention of the famous court composer to him, with whom Schubert studied for a year.
Over time, the rapid development of Franz's musical talent began to cause alarm in his father. Knowing well how difficult the path of musicians, even world famous ones, was, the father wanted to save his son from a similar fate. As punishment for his excessive passion for music, he even forbade him to be at home on holidays. But no prohibitions could delay the development of the boy's talent.
Schubert decided to break with the convict. Throw away boring and unnecessary textbooks, forget about worthless, heart and mind draining cramming and go free. To surrender completely to music, to live only for it and for its sake.
On October 28, 1813, he completed his first symphony in D major. On the last sheet of the score, Schubert wrote: "End and End". The end of the symphony and the end of the convict.
For three years he served as a teacher's assistant, teaching children literacy and other elementary subjects. But his attraction to music, the desire to compose is becoming stronger. One has only to marvel at the vitality of his creative nature. It was during these years of school hard labor, from 1814 to 1817, when everything seemed to be against him, that he created an amazing number of works. In 1815 alone, Schubert wrote 144 songs, 4 operas, 2 symphonies, 2 masses, 2 piano sonatas, and a string quartet. Among the creations of this period, there are many that are illuminated by the unfading flame of genius. These are the Tragic and Fifth symphonies in B-flat major, as well as the songs "Rose", "Margarita at the Spinning Wheel", "Forest King".
"Margarita at the Spinning Wheel" is a monodrama, a confession of the soul. "The Forest King" is a drama with several characters. They have their own characters, sharply different from each other, their actions, completely dissimilar, their aspirations, opposing and hostile, their feelings, incompatible and polar.
The history of this masterpiece is amazing. It arose in a fit of inspiration.
"One day, - recalled Shpaun, a friend of the composer, - we went to Schubert, who was then living with his father. We found our friend in the greatest excitement. Book in hand, he paced up and down the room, reading aloud The King of the Forest. Suddenly he sat down at the table and began to write. When he got up, a magnificent ballad was ready..
Life for music
The father's desire to make his son a teacher with a small but reliable income failed. The young composer firmly decided to devote himself to music and left teaching at school. He was not afraid of a quarrel with his father. All further short life of Schubert is a creative feat. Experiencing great material need and deprivation, he tirelessly created, creating one work after another.
Unfortunately, material hardships prevented him from marrying the girl he loved. Teresa Coffin sang in the church choir. From the very first rehearsals, Schubert noticed her, although she was inconspicuous. Fair-haired, with whitish eyebrows, as if faded in the sun, and a grainy face, like most dim blondes, she did not shine at all with beauty. Rather, on the contrary - at first glance it seemed ugly. Smallpox marks were clearly visible on her round face.
But as soon as the music sounded, the colorless face was transformed. Only that it was extinct and therefore inanimate. Now, illuminated by an inner light, it lived and radiated.
No matter how accustomed Schubert was to the callousness of fate, he did not imagine that fate would treat him so cruelly. “Happy is he who finds a true friend. Even happier is the one who finds it in his wife.” he wrote in his diary.
However, the dreams were shattered. Teresa's mother, who raised her without a father, intervened. Her father owned a small silk mill. When he died, he left the family a small fortune, and the widow turned all her worries to ensure that the already meager capital did not decrease. Naturally, she linked her hopes for a better future with her daughter's marriage. And it is even more natural that Schubert did not suit her. In addition to the penny salary of an assistant school teacher, he had music, and, as you know, it is not capital. You can live with music, but you can't live with it.
A submissive girl from the suburbs, brought up in submission to her elders, even in her thoughts did not allow disobedience. The only thing she allowed herself was tears. Having quietly wept until the wedding, Teresa with swollen eyes went down the aisle.
She became the wife of a confectioner and lived a long, monotonously prosperous gray life, dying at the age of seventy-eight. By the time she was taken to the cemetery, Schubert's ashes had long since decayed in the grave.
For several years (from 1817 to 1822) Schubert lived alternately with one or the other of his comrades. Some of them (Spaun and Stadler) were friends of the composer during the contract. Later they were joined by the multi-talented in the field of art Schober, the artist Schwind, the poet Mayrhofer, the singer Vogl and others. Schubert was the soul of this circle. Small in stature, stocky, stocky, very short-sighted, Schubert had great charm. Especially good were his radiant eyes, in which, as in a mirror, kindness, shyness and gentleness of character were reflected. A delicate, changeable complexion and curly brown hair gave his appearance a special appeal.
During the meetings, friends got acquainted with fiction, poetry of the past and present. They argued heatedly, discussing the issues that arose, and criticized the existing social order. But sometimes such meetings were devoted exclusively to the music of Schubert, they even received the name "Schubertiad". On such evenings, the composer did not leave the piano, immediately composing ecossaises, waltzes, landlers and other dances. Many of them have remained unrecorded. No less admired were the songs of Schubert, which he often performed himself. Often these friendly gatherings turned into country walks. Saturated with bold, lively thought, poetry, beautiful music, these meetings represented a rare contrast with the empty and meaningless entertainments of secular youth. The disorder of life, cheerful entertainment could not distract Schubert from creativity, stormy, continuous, inspired. He worked systematically, day after day. "I compose every morning when I finish one piece, I start another", - the composer admitted. Schubert composed music unusually quickly. On some days he created up to a dozen songs! Musical thoughts were born continuously, the composer barely had time to put them on paper. And if it was not at hand, he wrote on the back of the menu, on scraps and scraps. In need of money, he especially suffered from a lack of music paper. Caring friends supplied the composer with it. Music visited him in a dream. Waking up, he strove to write it down as soon as possible, so he did not part with his glasses even at night. And if the work did not immediately result in a perfect and complete form, the composer continued to work on it until he was completely satisfied. So, for some poetic texts, Schubert wrote up to seven versions of songs! During this period, Schubert wrote two of his wonderful works - the "Unfinished Symphony" and the song cycle "The Beautiful Miller's Woman".
The "Unfinished Symphony" does not consist of four parts, as is customary, but of two. And the point is not at all that Schubert did not have time to finish the other two parts. He started on the third - the minuet, as required by the classical symphony, but abandoned his idea. The symphony, as it sounded, was completely completed. Everything else would be superfluous, unnecessary. And if the classical form requires two more parts, it is necessary to give up the form. Which he did.
Song was Schubert's element. In it, he reached unprecedented heights. Genre, previously considered insignificant, he raised to the level of artistic perfection. And having done this, he went further - he saturated chamber music - quartets, quintets - and then symphonic music with song. The combination of what seemed incompatible - miniature with large-scale, small with large, song with symphony - gave a new, qualitatively different from everything that was before - a lyric-romantic symphony.
Her world is a world of simple and intimate human feelings, the subtlest and deepest psychological experiences. This is the confession of the soul, expressed not with a pen and not with a word, but with a sound.
The song cycle "The Beautiful Miller's Woman" is a vivid confirmation of this. Schubert wrote it to the verses of the German poet Wilhelm Müller. “The Beautiful Miller’s Woman” is an inspired creation, illuminated by gentle poetry, joy, romance of pure and high feelings.
The cycle consists of twenty individual songs. And all together they form a single dramatic play with a plot, ups and downs and a denouement, with one lyrical hero - a wandering mill apprentice.
However, the hero in "The Beautiful Miller's Woman" is not alone. Next to him is another, no less important hero - a stream. He lives his turbulent, intensely changeable life.
The works of the last decade of Schubert's life are very diverse. He writes symphonies, piano sonatas, quartets, quintets, trios, masses, operas, a lot of songs and much more. But during the composer's lifetime, his works were rarely performed, and most of them remained in manuscript. Having neither the means nor influential patrons, Schubert had almost no opportunity to publish his writings. Songs, the main thing in the work of Schubert, were then considered more suitable for home music-making than for open concerts. Compared to the symphony and opera, songs were not considered important musical genres.
Not a single opera by Schubert was accepted for production, not a single one of his symphonies was performed by an orchestra. Moreover, the notes of his best Eighth and Ninth symphonies were found only many years after the death of the composer. And the songs to the words sent to him by Schubert did not receive the attention of the poet.
Timidity, inability to arrange one's affairs, unwillingness to ask, to humiliate oneself in front of influential people were also an important reason for Schubert's constant financial difficulties. But, despite the constant lack of money, and often hunger, the composer did not want to go either to the service of Prince Esterhazy, or to the court organists, where he was invited. At times, Schubert did not even have a piano and composed without an instrument. Financial difficulties did not prevent him from composing music.
And yet the Viennese knew and fell in love with the music of Schubert, which itself made its way to their hearts. Like old folk songs, passing from singer to singer, his works gradually acquired admirers. They were not frequenters of the brilliant court salons, representatives of the upper class. Like a forest stream, Schubert's music found its way to the hearts of ordinary people in Vienna and its suburbs. An outstanding singer of that time, Johann Michael Vogl, who performed Schubert's songs to the accompaniment of the composer himself, played an important role here.
last years of life
Insecurity, continuous life failures seriously affected Schubert's health. His body was exhausted. Reconciliation with his father in the last years of his life, a more calm, balanced home life could no longer change anything. Schubert could not stop composing music, this was the meaning of his life. But creativity required a huge expenditure of strength, energy, which became less and less every day.
At twenty-seven, the composer wrote to his friend Schober: "... I feel like a miserable, worthless person in the world..." This mood was reflected in the music of the last period. If earlier Schubert created predominantly bright, joyful works, then a year before his death he wrote songs, uniting them under the common name “Winter Way”.
This has never happened to him before. He wrote about suffering and suffered. He wrote about hopeless longing and hopelessly yearned. He wrote about the excruciating pain of the soul and experienced mental anguish.
"Winter Way" is a journey through torment. And a lyrical hero. And the author.
The cycle, written with the blood of the heart, excites the blood and stirs the heart. A thin thread woven by the artist connected the soul of one person with the soul of millions of people with an invisible but indissoluble bond. She opened their hearts to the flood of feelings rushing from his heart.
In 1828, through the efforts of friends, the only concert of his works during Schubert's lifetime was organized. The concert was a huge success and brought great joy to the composer. His plans for the future became brighter. Despite failing health, he continues to compose. The end came unexpectedly. Schubert fell ill with typhus. The weakened body could not withstand a serious illness, and on November 19, 1828, Schubert died. The rest of the property was valued for pennies. Many writings have disappeared. The well-known poet of that time, Grillparzer, who composed a funeral word a year earlier
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 was admitted in 1808 to the Imperial Chapel and to Konvikt, the best boarding school in Vienna. During 1810–1813 he wrote numerous works: an opera, a symphony, piano pieces and songs (including Hagar's Complaint, Hagars Klage, 1811). 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 (Gretchen am Spinnrade, October 19, 1813) - 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 (Der Wanderer) and the famous Forest King (Erlk nig); both songs soon gained universal acclaim.
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 (singspiel) called The Twin Brothers (Die Zwillingsbruder). 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 piano quintet Forel (A major).
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 (probably in 1821), marked the beginning of a regular publication of Schubert's writings. In February 1822 he completed the opera Alfonso and Estrella (Alfonso und Estrella); in October the Unfinished Symphony (in B minor) was released.
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 - Conspirators (Die Verschworenen) and Fierrabras (Fierrabras), but they suffered the same fate. The wonderful vocal cycle The Beautiful Miller's Woman (Die sch ne Mullerin) and the music for the dramatic play Rosamund (Rosamunde) 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 (Girl and Death) and on the octet in F major, but the need forced him to again become a teacher 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 Duo 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. Songs to the words of V. Scott (including the famous Ave Maria) and the piano sonata in D major reflect the spiritual renewal of their author.
In 1826, Schubert petitioned for a place as bandmaster in the court chapel, but the request was not granted. His last string quartet (G major) and songs to Shakespeare's words (among them Morning Serenade) appeared during a summer trip to Vähring, 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 - the so-called. schubertiads. In 1827 were written, among other things, the vocal cycle Winter Road (Winterreise) and cycles of piano pieces (Musical Moments and Impromptu).
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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.
CREATION
Vocal and choral genres. The song-romance genre in the interpretation of Schubert is such an original contribution to the music of the 19th century that one can speak of 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 verses are sung to one melody; "through" (durchkomponiert), in which each verse can have its own musical solution. Field rose (Haidenroslein) is an example of the first species; Young nun (Die junge Nonne) - 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 do: by composing for a certain poetic text, he created a context with his music that gave 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 (Im Abendroth) or the midnight horror in the Double (Der Doppelgonger). Sometimes, thanks to Schubert’s special gift, a mysterious connection is established between the landscape and the mood of the poem: for example, the imitation of the monotonous hum of the barrel organ in the Organ Grinder (Der Leiermann) 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 (An die Musik), if it were not for Schubert's genius 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-voiced No, only he who knew (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt, 1819), captures the listener like romances. The unfinished spiritual opera The Resurrection of Lazarus (Lazarus) is more of an oratorio; the music here is beautiful, and the score contains anticipations of some of Wagner's techniques. (In our time, the opera The Resurrection of Lazarus was completed by the Russian composer E. Denisov and successfully performed in several countries.)
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 (E-flat major) 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 the symphony in B minor (Unfinished) and the symphony in C major (1828) 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.
The music for Rosamund contains two intermissions (B minor and B major) and lovely ballet scenes. Only the first intermission is serious in tone, but all the music for Rosamund is purely Schubertian in terms of the freshness of the harmonic and melodic language.
Among other orchestral works, overtures stand out. In two of them (C major and D major), written in 1817, the influence of G. Rossini is felt, and in their subtitles (given not by Schubert) it is indicated: "in the Italian style." Three operatic overtures are also of interest: Alfonso and Estrella, Rosamund (originally intended for an early composition of the Magic Harp - Die Zauberharfe) 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 (op. 29), 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 (1828), but it cannot be compared in perfection with the quartet in G major.
The octet is a romantic interpretation of the classical suite genre. The use of additional woodwinds gives the composer a reason to compose touching melodies, create colorful modulations that embody Gemutlichkeit - the good-natured and cozy charm of old Vienna. Both Schubert trios - op. 99, in B flat major and op. 100, E-flat major - have both strengths and weaknesses: the structural organization and beauty of the music of the first two movements captivate the listener, while the finals of both cycles seem too lightweight.
Piano compositions. Schubert composed many pieces for piano 4 hands. Many of them (marches, polonaises, overtures) 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 (moreover, as already mentioned, there is no indication that the cycle was originally conceived as a symphony), the variations in A-flat major with their sharp characteristicality, 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 (1825–1826) vividly 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.
In Vienna, in the family of a school teacher.
Schubert's exceptional musical abilities manifested themselves in early childhood. From the age of seven, he studied playing several instruments, singing, and theoretical disciplines.
At the age of 11, Schubert was a boarding school for soloists of the court chapel, where, in addition to singing, he studied playing many instruments and music theory under the guidance of Antonio Salieri.
While studying at the choir in 1810-1813, he wrote many compositions: an opera, a symphony, piano pieces and songs.
In 1813 he entered the teachers' seminary, and in 1814 began teaching at the school where his father served. In his spare time, Schubert composed his first Mass and set Johann Goethe's poem "Gretchen behind the spinning wheel" to music.
His numerous songs date back to 1815, including "The Forest King" to the words of Johann Goethe, the 2nd and 3rd symphonies, three masses and four singspiel (comic opera with spoken dialogues).
In 1816 the composer completed his 4th and 5th symphonies and wrote over 100 songs.
Wanting to devote himself entirely to music, Schubert left his job at school (this led to a break in relations with his father).
At Gelize, the summer residence of Count Johann Esterházy, he acted as a music teacher.
At the same time, the young composer became close to the famous Viennese singer Johann Vogl (1768-1840), who became a promoter of Schubert's vocal work. During the second half of the 1810s, numerous new songs came out from Schubert's pen, including the popular Wanderer, Ganymede, Forellen, and the 6th Symphony. His singspiel The Twin Brothers, written in 1820 for Vogl and staged at the Kärntnertor Theater in Vienna, was not particularly successful, but brought fame to Schubert. A more serious achievement was the melodrama "Magic Harp", staged a few months later at the Theater An der Wien.
He enjoyed the patronage of aristocratic families. Schubert's friends published his 20 songs by private subscription, but the opera "Alfonso and Estrella" to a libretto by Franz von Schober, which Schubert considered his great success, was rejected.
In the 1820s, the composer created instrumental works: the lyric-dramatic "Unfinished" symphony (1822) and the epic, life-affirming symphony in C major (the last, ninth in a row).
In 1823 he wrote the vocal cycle "The Beautiful Miller" to the words of the German poet Wilhelm Müller, the opera "Fiebras", the singspiel "The Conspirator".
In 1824, Schubert created the A-moll and D-moll string quartets (his second movement is variations on an earlier Schubert song "Death and the Maiden") and a six-part Octet for wind and strings.
In the summer of 1825, in Gmunden near Vienna, Schubert made sketches of his last symphony, the so-called "Big".
In the second half of the 1820s, Schubert enjoyed a very high reputation in Vienna - his concerts with Vogl gathered a large audience, and publishers willingly published the composer's new songs, as well as pieces and piano sonatas. Among Schubert's works of 1825-1826, piano sonatas, the last string quartet and some songs, among which "The Young Nun" and Ave Maria, stand out.
Schubert's work was actively covered in the press, he was elected a member of the Vienna Society of Friends of Music. On March 26, 1828, the composer gave an author's concert in the hall of the society with great success.
This period includes the vocal cycle "Winter Way" (24 songs to the words of Müller), two impromptu notebooks for pianoforte, two piano trios and masterpieces of the last months of Schubert's life - the Es-dur Mass, the last three piano sonatas, the String Quintet and 14 songs, published after the death of Schubert in the form of a collection called "Swan Song".
On November 19, 1828, Franz Schubert died in Vienna of typhus at the age of 31. He was buried in the Waring Cemetery (now Schubert Park) in northwest Vienna, next to the composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, who had died a year earlier. On January 22, 1888, Schubert's ashes were reburied at the Vienna Central Cemetery.
Until the end of the 19th century, a significant part of the composer's extensive heritage remained unpublished. The manuscript of the "Great" symphony was discovered by the composer Robert Schumann in the late 1830s - it was first performed in 1839 in Leipzig under the baton of the German composer and conductor Felix Mendelssohn. The first performance of the String Quintet took place in 1850, and the first performance of the "Unfinished Symphony" in 1865. The catalog of Schubert's works includes about one thousand positions - six masses, eight symphonies, about 160 vocal ensembles, over 20 completed and unfinished piano sonatas, and over 600 songs for voice and piano.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
