Schubert [Life and Famous Songs] The too short Life of the King of Songs and his representative works

2023年06月09日

クラシック音楽ガイドへようこそ！クラシック音楽愛好家のNACOです。今日はオーストリア・ウィーン出身の作曲家、フランツ・ペーター・シューベルトを紹介します。シューベルトは交響曲、ピアノ曲、室内楽など様々なジャンルで傑作を残した作曲家です。シューベルトの作品の中でも歌曲と呼ばれるドイツ歌曲は最も優れた作品とされており、シューベルトは「歌曲の王」と呼ばれています。(English) Welcome to the Classical Music Guide! I am NACO, a classical music lover. Today I would like to introduce you to Franz Peter Schubert, a composer from Vienna, Austria. Schubert was a composer who left masterpieces in various genres, such as symphonies, piano pieces and chamber music. Among his works, German songs called Lieder are considered the best written, and Schubert is called the "King of Lieder".

Schubert [Life and Famous Songs] The too short Life of the King of Songs and his representative works... A rich commentary on great composers / Demon King, Wild Rose, Masu, Unfinished Symphony & Great Ave Maria, Death and Maiden, etc.

Welcome to the Classical Music Guide! I am NACO, a classical music lover. Today I would like to introduce you to Franz Peter Schubert, a composer from Vienna, Austria. Schubert was a composer who left masterpieces in various genres, such as symphonies, piano pieces and chamber music. Among his works, German songs called Lieder are considered the best written, and Schubert is called the "King of Lieder".

Today we will introduce you to Schubert's turbulent life by listening to many of his masterpieces.

Boyhood Schubert was born in 1797 in a residential area of Vienna, Austria. In Vienna, at that time, it was possible to run a school like a private school if you had a schoolmaster's licence.

Schubert's father, Franz Theodor, was a schoolmaster and ran an elementary school on the ground floor of his house. Schubert's parents were blessed with 14 children, most of whom died in childhood, leaving only five adult siblings, including Schubert. However, his father wanted his remaining children to become great teachers, so he carefully educated them in the elementary school he ran.

Schubert also started elementary school at six and began his musical education simultaneously. Schubert learned the violin from his father and the piano from his eldest brother Ignaz. However, the young Schubert soon showed great musical talent and was no longer taught by his father or older brother.

So the following year, Schubert began to study organ, singing and music theory with the organist Holzer. Holzer was so amazed by Schubert's talent that he is said to have told Schubert's father, with tears in his eyes, "I have never had such a student in my life. I have never taught such a pupil."

"I tried to teach him something new, but he already knew it. So I didn't give him any lessons; I just talked to and amazed him".

Schubert's singing talent was particularly exceptional. And at 11, he became a member of the Court Chapel Choir. The Court Chapel Choir, the forerunner of today's Vienna Boys' Choir, was an elite choir of pre-matric boys founded for the Vienna Court Chapel at the end of the 15th century.

Once in this choir, they received a scholarship to attend a school called the Gymnasium. His father, a teacher, was delighted because he could receive the best education at the Gymnasium while living in the dormitories.

Schubert's schooling included language, literature, history and mathematics, as well as specialised musical training in singing, piano and violin.

As a second violinist in an orchestra composed entirely of boarders, Schubert gained a wealth of musical experience.

As a result, Schubert's musical performance was consistently excellent, and he received a commendation at the age of 12. Furthermore, at 14, the Count of the Court Kapellmeister ordered that "special attention be paid to Schubert's musical education".

This enabled Schubert to receive special lessons in basso continuo, piano, viola and violoncello from the court organist Ruzicka.

He also received special treatment from Salieri, the court music director, who gave him private lessons in composition. The talented Schubert also became the orchestra's assistant conductor in his dormitory.

According to records, Schubert's Symphony No. 1, composed when he was 16, was also performed privately by the dormitory orchestra. ＜Symphony No. 1 in D major, D.82, 1st movement The first public performance of the entire work occurred at the Crystal Palace in London in 1881, more than 50 years after Schubert's death.

The work shows the influence of the Viennese classics, including Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. However, it was not only the musical experience that Schubert gained from this life.

The dormitory was home to students of the Gymnasium and students of the University of Vienna. Through his dormitory orchestra, Schubert developed friendships with people of all ages.

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Schubert became more and more absorbed in the music. He neglected his studies, and his grades began to drop. His father, who wanted Schubert to become a teacher, could not tolerate his poor performance.

Schubert no longer had enough pocket money to buy the staves he needed to compose his music. However, his friends, who couldn't bear to see this, secretly gave him a stave.

Schubert used the staves to compose new pieces and played them for his friends. The friends with whom he shared his dormitory life became an indispensable part of his life.

Death of his mother and conflict with his father, Schubert's life seemed to be going smoothly, but misfortune struck when he was 15.

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Schubert's beloved mother died. About a month later, Schubert's voice changed, and he was expelled from the choir. The following year, at the age of 16, he finally failed a class in mathematics.

He managed to get into the next class with special treatment and was offered a scholarship, but he turned it down and left the school.

After leaving the boarding school, Schubert returned to his father's home and his second marriage. Then, at his father's insistence, he enrolled at a teacher training college in Vienna.

After graduating at 17, he became an assistant teacher at his father's school, but Schubert, who had no interest in teaching, was not interested in the job.

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His relationship with his father gradually deteriorated. Music, however, was a different matter. In the same year, Schubert had the opportunity to perform his mass music in a church publicly.

The performance was so good that his father, with whom he did not get on, was overjoyed and gave him a piano.

Three days later, he composed this masterpiece. <Spinning the Threads of Gleichen> D.118. The piano accompaniment represents spinning a spinning wheel, and this piece has lyrics from the play "Faust" by the German poet Goethe.

The song is sung by a simple town girl, Grätchen, who thinks of Faust as she spins the thread.

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A little more than a year after this composition, Schubert wrote the song "Der König von Thule", also based on "Faust".

This "Grätchen Spinning the Yarn" is the first German-language song: Songs with a poem by the German poet Goethe. This song was revolutionary and different from previous songs.

The accompaniment and rhythms, which realistically express the content of Goethe's poem, the chords, which sound emotional changes; and the melody, which expresses changes in emotions, set the song apart from previous songs.

Later, 19 October, the day this piece was composed, became known as "Lieder's birthday".

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After completing this work, Schubert began to devote himself to composition. The following year, when he was 18 years old, he wrote two famous songs.

One is the "Wild Rose" here. <The Wild Rose> D.257 A song based on a poem by Goethe. It is a gentle song called "Lovely".

It is sung in three verses about a boy who breaks a beautiful rose in his hand. And the other is this one, <Devil King> D. 328.

This piece is also based on a poem by Goethe. According to his friend Spaun, Schubert, while reading Goethe's poem "Der Teufelskönig", suddenly sat down and began to write music at a tremendous rate.

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This problematic piece requires a high level of singing skill in the four roles of Father, Son, Devil King and Narrator. Nevertheless, his friends encouraged the talented Schubert to pursue a music career.

At 19, Schubert finally left his father's house and moved into his friend Spaun's boarding house.

His friends, including Spaun, knew Schubert's musical talent well. So they decided to compile and publish it as 'Goethe-Lieder'.

To do this, he needed Goethe's permission. So Spaun sent Schubert's scores to Goethe with a letter. However, Goethe returned the letter without an answer.

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Various reasons have been given for this, but the most popular theory seems to be that Goethe was too busy to look at the works of an unknown composer.

His friends were undeterred, however, and planned another publication the following year. This time they sent the scores to Europe's most prominent music publisher.

But this, too, was returned in silence. The reason was a misunderstanding on the part of the publisher. The publisher saw the name "Franz Schubert" and thought it was the composer of the same name who lived in Dresden.

When the publishers contacted Schubert in Dresden, the composer was outraged that his name had been misrepresented and the work was never published.

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Independence as a musician, Schubert's turning point came when he was 20 years old. Schubert's friend Schober, who had been introduced to him by Schopaun, introduced him to a then-court singer called Fogle.

Fogle was about to retire and initially showed no interest in the young composer. However, the music soon captivated him when he listened to Schubert's lieder.

Here is the famous piece written when Schubert met Fogle. <Trout> D.550 This is a renowned piece based on a text by the German poet and musician Schubert.

It describes a fish playing in a clear stream until a fisherman catches it. The tune was later used in a piano quintet. So this is how Fogle came to speak of Schubert.

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"We must all bow before Schubert's innate genius. If he does not come, then we must all get down on our knees and crawl to him. Indeed, five years later, Fogle retired as a court singer and devoted himself to Schubert's lieder.

Although Schubert was understood by many in his circle, he was not well known to the public as a musician, but at the age of 21, he could give his first paid public concert.

At the age of 21, Schubert gave his first paid public concert. However, he did not begin as a composer.

First, he was employed as a music teacher for the prestigious Esterházy family in Želiz, then in Hungary, now Slovakia. Schubert was happy to be independent of his father and to leave his teaching post.

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It was also here in Želiz that Schubert had an excellent encounter. One was Baron Schoenstein, a high baritone singer.

Baron Schoenstein was a singer who sang Italian music but was so fascinated by Schubert's Lieder that he began to sing only Schubert's Lieder. Schubert later presented Baron Schoenstein with this masterpiece.

The first song, "Der Wanderer", is a masterpiece of simplicity and radiant hope.

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This songbook of 20 songs describes a young man's journey, love, lost love and death. Another encounter was with Caroline, the younger daughter of the Esterházy family, who was also his pupil.

Schubert fell in love with her. One day Caroline jokingly said to Schubert: "You have not given me a song yet."

Schubert replied, "Why not? Why not? All my songs are dedicated to you." Although his love affair of mistaken identity rank did not come to fruition, Schubert composed many piano pieces and piano duets for Caroline to teach her to play the piano during this time. In the autumn, Schubert returned from Geriz to Vienna.

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By the time he was about 22, Schubert's name was becoming known, albeit gradually, in the Viennese music world. Eventually, Schubert decided to concentrate on composing operas.

In Europe at the time, a composer who could write an opera was considered a first-rate composer, and success with a popular opera was an excellent way to become famous and earn a lot of money.

Schubert's operas, encouraged by Fogle and other colleagues, were performed several times, and the results were not wrong. Then, in his 24th year, Schober, who had introduced him to Fogle, organised a salon for Schubert.

A salon was a 'tea party' popular with the upper classes at the time, where cultural figures and artists were invited to their homes to exchange information and enjoy the arts.

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Schober's family were all great Schubert fans, so they held a salon focusing on Schubert's music. These salons were called "Schubertiades" and became a frequent event outside the Schober family.

In addition, Schubert's music was finally published that year. Friends such as Sonleitner and Huttenbrenner raised funds and published the piece themselves.

Schubert had a gentle and generous nature, was very friendly and was understood and loved by many of his friends. The publication went smoothly, but Schubert was not a good negotiator.

Furthermore, his socialising led him to spend a lot of money, and he often had to pay his friends' bills, so Schubert's financial situation was never stable.

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Schubert's health began to decline when he was only 25 years old. He contracted syphilis. At the time, syphilis was considered incurable. Schubert's battle with the disease began here, but it was also a happy one.

At 26, he was elected an honorary member of the Styrian Music Society.

The president of the Styrian Music Society was his friend Huttenbrenner, who had also helped Schubert with his publishing business.

Schubert was so grateful that he gave this masterpiece, which was still in progress, in return. Symphony No. 7(8) "Unfinished" in B minor, D.

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759, 1st movement. This symphony was begun in 1822, but piano sketches from earlier years also survive. It is called "Unfinished" because the composition was unfinished, but Schubert had many other unfinished symphonies.

Conductors later completed the unfinished symphonies, and supplementary editions were published.

In addition, many missing works make the organisation of Schubert's oeuvre a problematic and much-debated task.

The number of this symphony is also said to be either No. 7 or No. 8. Schubert's health did not improve. He was admitted to a general hospital and began severe treatment.

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Schubert was discharged from the hospital after about two months, and he and Fogle travelled around Austria to relocate and recuperate. By the time they returned, however, his condition had deteriorated again.

At one point, he was unable to get out of bed. However, thanks to his treatment, his symptoms gradually eased, and by the time he was 27, he could finally lead an everyday life.

Schubert wrote a large number of chamber music pieces during this year, which is often referred to as the "Year of Chamber Music".

Two of them are particularly famous. One is the String Quartet No. 13, 'Rosamunde'.

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In a letter from Schubert, which seems to have been written around the time of the composition of this piece, he wrote, "I feel that I am the most unhappy and pathetic person on earth. There is little hope that my health will recover, and my despair makes me think badly."

"The brightest hopes have come to nothing, the happiness of love and friendship has brought me nothing but the most significant pain, and my enthusiasm for beauty is dying out".

Chamber music was considered a genre for mature composers. However, Rosamunde was performed soon after its composition and published about six months later, giving Schubert the recognition he deserved as a first-rate composer.

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Another masterpiece is String Quartet No. 14, "Death and the Maiden" in D minor, D810, 2nd movement. This is a masterpiece composed after the above-mentioned "Rosamunde".

In its 28th year, the Schubertiade became a weekly event. Portraits were also published, raising Schubert's profile, and he was elected deputy director of the Musikverein in Vienna.

It is said that Schubert was presented with the 'Great' Symphony the following year in return—Symphony No. 8(9) 'The Great' in C Major, D.

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944, 1st movement, Known as "The Great", is one of Schubert's most popular symphonies.

Mendelssohn first performed it after Schubert's death in 1839. However, it is possible that it was performed privately at the Musikverein in Vienna before Schubert's death.

The technique of having two horns play the theme alone at the beginning was borrowed from Schumann's Symphony No. 1, "Spring", and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 ", Anthem".

He also published this piano sonata in his 29th year—Piano Sonata No. 16 in A minor, D.845, 1st movement.

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By this time, Schubert had composed more than 14 piano sonatas, none of which had been published. The fact that Piano Sonata No. 16 was published within six months of its composition was a great success. Schubert's momentum was unstoppable.

About a month later, this song was also published. <Ellen's Song 3 (Ave Maria)> D 839 He created a piece for each of the seven poems in Walter Scott's epic poem "Beauty on the Lake.

"This is the sixth of the seven. The song is sung by the maiden Ellen on a rock by the lake, begging the statue of the Virgin for forgiveness for her father's sins.

The lyre-like accompaniment creates a solemn atmosphere. The German violinist Wilhelmi later arranged it for solo violin and made it famous.

Despite his success as a composer, he could not find a stable job. In the same year, he applied for the post of assistant director of the court but was not selected. He was also used for the position of assistant conductor at the Carinthian Theatre but was unsuccessful.

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Schubert's life seems to have revolved around the Schubertiade, where friends surrounded him. Early Late Years Songs "Winterreise" D.911, No.5 The second song cycle after "The Beautiful Water Mill Girl".

The fifth song, 'The Lime Tree', is so beautiful that it is said to be 'almost too beautiful to sing'.

The year he wrote this song cycle, at 30, Schubert visited a composer on his deathbed. The composer was Beethoven, the target of every composer in Europe and, simultaneously, a high wall.

Schubert also admired Beethoven, who was more than two years his senior. On the other hand, Beethoven knew of Schubert's works through his secretary.

It is said that when Beethoven saw Schubert's songs, he said, "Schubert has the spark of God in him". When Beethoven died shortly afterwards, Schubert attended his funeral with a torch.

After the funeral, Schubert and his friends went to a tavern and drank to "the memory of our immortal Beethoven".

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And from there, his energetic, creative work began. But, first, the improvisations shown here were composed and published at the end of the year.

Furthermore, the key and time signature of the third piece was changed when it was first published, but it has now been restored to its original form.

This Improvisation was also composed at the end of that year. Improvisation op.142-2 in A flat major, D.935, No.2 The earlier op.90-2 was called "Improvisation" by Haslinger, who was responsible for its publication. Still, it is said that Schubert, who liked it, gave this piece the same title.

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The following year he also completed this piano piece. Moments Music op.94-3 in F minor, D.780, No.3 This is one of Schubert's most famous piano pieces.

There is a more elegant improvisational quality to both the music and the composition.

These two pieces, "Improvisation" and "Moments Music", are masterpieces of Schubert's attempt to express the inner life of man in free form, and are said to be responsible for the opening of the Romantic period after the death of Beethoven, the master of the Classical period.

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Schubert also gave his first composition recital that spring at 31. By this time, Schubert's talent as a composer was well known, and he was expected to do even better in the future.

As if in response to these expectations, he composed this masterpiece in the summer. Serenade from 'Swan Song' D.957, No.

The 'Schwanenlieder' are Schubert's third song cycle, but it was published as a collection only after his death.

It is said that Schubert himself did not intend to compose a series of songs. However, "Serenade" is a song set to a poem by Lerstarp and is one of Schubert's most popular songs.

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However, illness was undoubtedly creeping up on Schubert. He moved into his brother Ferdinand's house, where he began to feel ill.

His physical strength gradually declined, and he became more and more suffering. Nevertheless, he was still highly motivated to create, and by October, he was strong enough to travel on foot.

In November, he could also go out to hear a requiem by his brother Ferdinand and take a fugue lesson.

Then, finally, on 11 November, he could not get out of bed again, but Schubert's consciousness was clear, and he was, as usual, proofreading the second part of Winterreise and talking about music.

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It was not until the 16th that his condition changed dramatically. He was diagnosed with typhoid fever, became weak and finally lost consciousness.

On the afternoon of 19 November, Schubert's life ended at only 31. Schubert's funeral took place two days later.

After his burial, his brother Ferdinand suggested that he be moved to Werling Cemetery, where he is now buried in Schubert Park and Schubert Cemetery.

The place is now called Schubert Park, where the Viennese gather around Schubert, just as they did at the Schubertiade before his death.

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We hope you enjoyed this introduction to Schubert's life and masterpieces. At Classical Music Guide, our motto is "making classical music more accessible".

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