Franz Schubert

Symphony No. 5 in Bb, D.485

            The epitaph on Schubert’s tombstone reads:  “The art of music has entombed here a rich treasure but even fairer hopes.”   We all lament the “loss” of treasure that we never possessed, none perhaps more than great art that we presume may have come to pass but not for lives cut short in youth.   But not all composers can live long productive lives like those enjoyed by Verdi and Strauss, for example.   Often those who die young are nevertheless privileged to accomplish much, and Schubert, like Mozart, is exemplary.  He left behind him a legacy of over six hundred art songs; no other composer’s contribution to the genre is as significant in scope and number.   And, of course, while he did compose marvelous chamber works, symphonies, and music for piano, it is his inimitable gif

Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759 (“Unfinished”)

            The epitaph on Schubert’s tombstone reads:  “The art of music has entombed here a rich treasure but even fairer hopes.”   We all lament the “loss” of treasure that we never possessed, none perhaps more than great art that we presume may have come to pass but not for lives cut short in youth.   We must remember that not all composers can live long productive lives like those enjoyed by Verdi and Strauss, for example.   Often those who die young are nevertheless privileged to accomplish much, and Schubert, like Mozart, is exemplary.  His short life was generally uneventful, and his personality still is somewhat lacking in vivid details for us today, but we do know that he lived and worked within a small circle of artists in various fields in Vienna.   His was contemporaneous w

Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944

            Franz Schubert’s short life roughly coincided with that of Beethoven’s—both passing away within about a year of each other.  But what a difference there is between the life and music of these two giants of early romantic music!  Beethoven--world renowned with fiery temperament, and master of struggling to hammer out profundities from modest ideas—strode across the musical landscape of Europe as a conqueror.   Schubert, on the other hand, lived quietly within a circle of close friends, rarely capturing the public’s imagination, while turning out an immeasurable wealth of melodies, apparently with little effort.   In his brief career Schubert composed orchestral music, dabbled in opera, produced masterpieces of chamber music, and created a significant body of compositions for