Franz Schubert
Austrian composer (1797–1828)
Vienna, song and the late works
Musical training in Vienna
Franz Schubert grew up in Vienna and learned music within his family before entering the imperial choir school. There he played violin and encountered the music of earlier Viennese composers. He later worked at his father’s school while continuing to compose on a remarkable scale.
A new reach for the art song
Early songs such as Gretchen am Spinnrade and Erlkönig showed how closely Schubert could connect a poem to changing musical mood. He went on to create the song cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise. These works helped make the German-language art song central to concert repertory.
Beyond the voice
Schubert also wrote chamber music, piano works and symphonies, including the two-movement Unfinished Symphony. His final years were especially productive despite illness. He died in 1828 at only 31, leaving a catalogue that extended far beyond the songs for which he is best known.