Franz Schubert

📷 Wikimedia Commons — domaine public — Wilhelm August Rieder — 1875

1797 — 1828

empire d'Autriche, archiduché d'Autriche

MusicCompositeur/trice19th CenturyEarly 19th century, the Romantic period in Europe, shaped by the Napoleonic Wars and the Restoration

Romantisme

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was an Austrian composer of the early Romantic period, who wrote more than 600 lieder, symphonies, and chamber music. Despite his short life, he left behind a body of work of exceptional richness, distinguished by its melodic gift and emotional depth.

Key Facts

Born on January 31, 1797, in Vienna, into a modest family
Composed more than 600 lieder, including the famous song cycle Die schöne Müllerin (1823)
Wrote his Symphony No. 8 'Unfinished' around 1822, which remained mysteriously incomplete
Died on November 19, 1828, in Vienna, at just 31 years old, from typhoid fever
Much of his work was recognized and published only after his death

Works & Achievements

Erlkönig (The Erl-King), D. 328 (1815)

A lied for voice and piano set to a poem by Goethe, considered one of the pinnacles of the genre. The voice alternately portrays the father, the child, and the Erl-King in a breathtaking dramatic crescendo.

Symphony No. 8 in B minor 'Unfinished', D. 759 (1822)

A symphony mysteriously abandoned after two movements, only discovered and premiered in 1865. Its deeply Romantic harmonic language makes it a pioneering work in the genre.

Die schöne Müllerin (The Beautiful Miller's Daughter), D. 795 (1823)

A cycle of 20 lieder set to poems by Wilhelm Müller, telling the story of a young miller's unrequited love. The first great song cycle in the history of music.

Piano Quintet in A major 'The Trout', D. 667 (1819)

A joyful quintet whose fourth movement draws on the theme of the lied 'The Trout'. A radiant and beloved work, emblematic of Schubert's summer stay in Upper Austria.

Winterreise (Winter Journey), D. 911 (1827)

A cycle of 24 lieder set to poems by Wilhelm Müller, a testament work of profound and devastating darkness. Considered one of the pinnacles of all Western vocal music.

String Quartet No. 14 'Death and the Maiden', D. 810 (1824)

A quartet of extreme dramatic intensity, whose second movement draws on the theme of his lied of the same name. A poignant testament to Schubert's struggle against illness.

Symphony No. 9 in C major 'The Great', D. 944 (1825-1828)

Schubert's final symphony, of monumental scope, premiered by Schumann and Mendelssohn in 1839. Robert Schumann famously described it as possessing 'heavenly length'.

Anecdotes

Schubert composed at a breathtaking speed: he could write several lieder in a single day. Legend has it that he wrote 'Erlkönig', one of his most celebrated works, in a single afternoon, reading Goethe's poem for the very first time. His friend Josef von Spaun recalls finding him at the piano, eyes shining, the manuscript still wet with ink.

Unable to afford a piano, the young Schubert would sometimes use blank sheet music as an imaginary keyboard, laid flat on a table to compose. His family was of modest means, and his father, a schoolteacher, saw no future in music. Franz spent his entire life juggling composition with the need to earn a living as a teacher.

'Schubertiades' were musical evenings hosted by wealthy Viennese friends, where Schubert would play and sing his own compositions. These intimate gatherings, highly sought after in Viennese intellectual circles, gave Schubert a way to share his music in a world where only a small fraction of his work was ever published. They were marked by a spirit of camaraderie and artistic passion.

Schubert died at 31, most likely from typhoid fever, though his health had been weakened since he contracted syphilis in 1822. He asked to be buried near Beethoven, whom he deeply admired and whose funeral procession he had followed just a year before. His wish was granted: the two composers now rest side by side in Vienna's Central Cemetery.

At his death, Schubert left behind hundreds of unpublished manuscripts. His Symphony No. 8, known as the 'Unfinished', was not discovered and performed until 1865 — 37 years after his death. Why Schubert stopped after two movements remains unknown: illness, forgetfulness, or a deliberate choice? The mystery endures and has fascinated musicologists for two centuries.

Primary Sources

Letter from Schubert to his father, July 25, 1825 (1825)

I work constantly, so that I do not become a stranger to the art that has made me so happy, even though my means are modest.

Schubert's private diary (1824)

My existence is nothing but composition. I compose in the morning, and when I have finished one piece, I immediately begin another.

Josef von Spaun's account of the composition of Erlkönig (c. 1815, written down later)

We found Schubert in a state of great excitement, reading Goethe's Erlkönig. He read through the poem several times, then sat down at the table, and in a very short time the magnificent ballad was set down on paper.

Letter from Schubert to Leopold Kupelwieser, March 31, 1824 (1824)

I feel myself to be the most unhappy, the most wretched of men. Picture a man whose health will never recover, and who in despair makes things worse rather than better.

Account of the first Schubertiade at Franz von Schober's home (1821)

The evening at Schober's was of rare musical beauty. Schubert played without pause, and each lied seemed to touch the audience to the very depths of their souls.

Key Places

Lichtental, Vienna (birthplace)

Schubert was born on January 31, 1797, at 54 Nussdorferstrasse in Lichtental, then a suburb of Vienna. The house is now a museum dedicated to his memory.

Stadtkonvikt, Vienna

The imperial boarding school where Schubert studied from 1808 to 1813, receiving an outstanding musical education under the direction of Antonio Salieri. It was here that he discovered the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart.

Viennese bourgeois salons (Schubertiades)

The Schubertiades were held in various apartments in central Vienna, notably at the homes of Franz von Schober and the Sonnleithner brothers. These evening gatherings were the primary means by which Schubert's work was shared during his lifetime.

Gmunden and Steyr, Upper Austria

Schubert spent several summers in Upper Austria with the singer Vogl, finding renewal in the Alpine landscapes that inspired, among other works, the 'Trout' Quintet in 1819.

Vienna Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof)

Schubert has rested here since 1888, transferred to be buried alongside Beethoven in the grove of distinguished musicians. His grave is a place of pilgrimage for music lovers from around the world.

Gallery

Portrait of a young Man label QS:Lit,"Ritratto di un giovane uomo" label QS:Lhu,"Fiatal férfi portréja" label QS:Lru,"Портрет молодого человека" label QS:Lde,"Porträt eines jungen Mannes" label QS:Lp

Wikimedia Commons, Public domain — Josef Abel