Franz Schubert

Today, it is not easy to define Franz Schubert’s position in the musical life of his time. Too many myths have clouded our view of historical reality, and the romantic cliché of the bitterly poor, unrecognised genius is all too hackneyed. In fact, Schubert (1797 – 1828) achieved steady and increasing success as a composer and was able to live from his work. However, his true significance only emerged after Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy organised the first performance of Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944 (“The Great”), eleven years after the composer’s death.

Schubert was born in a small village near Vienna as the son of the local school headmaster. His musical talent was soon recognised and he was accepted as a choirboy in the Wiener Hofkapelle at the age of eleven, where he was awarded a scholarship for accommodation and grammar school fees. “Hofkapellmeister” Antonio Salieri was primarily responsible for Franz Schubert’s musical education and provided him with a broad basis, generally focused on opera. At the age of seventeen, Schubert followed in his father’s footsteps and worked as an assistant teacher in the same school. 

The year 1817 marked a turning point in Schubert’s life. Count Johann Esterházy offered him the position of music teacher to his two daughters, thus enabling Franz Schubert to spend his summer holidays at the Esterházy summer residence. After this, Schubert did not return to the school, thus causing a temporary dispute between father and son. He decided instead to live in Vienna and work there as a musician and composer. For financial reasons, he shared his accommodation with his friend, the poet Johann Mayrhofer. This way of life suited him well and, from then on, he lived in various financially convenient partnerships. Communication with friends was important to him and, over the years, Schubert met regularly with a changing circle of like-minded people, which included some musicians, but mainly men of letters and artists.

After his move to Vienna, Schubert sought the attention of a musical audience and achieved quick success. In November 1818, he was commissioned to write the music for a stage play, and, in the following years, he turned his attention to composing for various operas and stage productions. In 1820, Franz Schubert began to publish his songs – and enjoyed resounding success. Although he earned well from the songbooks, which he published himself, he soon turned to commercial publishing houses, which relieved him of the burden of distributing them. In the late 1820s, publishers from outside Vienna began to take notice of his music, and interest in his instrumental works gradually increased. Franz Schubert was engaged in serious negotiations with publishing houses when he died of syphilis on 19 November 1828.