Franz Schubert

*Franz Schubert Summary for Music Theory*

Franz Schubert lived from January 31, 1797 to November 19, 1828, dying at the age of 31. Many illnesses may have contributed to his death, but the Syphilis he had acquired in 1822 is believed to be the primary cause. Upon his request, he was buried directly next to Ludwig Van Beethoven, whom he admired throughout his life. He was an Austrian composer working in the early years of the Romantic Period. Composing over 1000 works in such a short lifetime, Schubert utilized most genres. 5 operas, 6 masses, 9 symphonies, 11 sonatas, and 30 chamber works all contributed to the high number of compositions, but he was mostly known for his innovative writing of Lieders, or songs.
It was in this genre that Schubert was most influential and left his mark on the Romantic Period. His most famous Lieder was written in 1823 on the poems of Willhelm Muller, and is titled Die Schone Mullerin, or, the “Lovely Maid of the Mill”. The song cycle is widely performed and recorded, typically lasts between 60 and 70 minutes, and contains 20 songs. Another of Schubert’s works that is also considered at the pinnacle of the Lieder is Winterreise, or “Winter Journey.” This song cycle is also based on the poetry of Willhelm Muller. These two song cycles stand in a league all their own in the Lieder genre.
Although not his best piece, Schubert may be remembered most for his 8th symphony, commonly known as the “Unfinished Symphony.” Even though he would live for another six years, Schubert stopped writing the symphony after he completed the first two movements and most of the third, and the reason for doing so has been debated endlessly ever since. Schubert had been writing the symphony to return a favor to the Graz Music Society, who had given him an Honorary Diploma. Schubert gave the completed portion of the work to a friend of his who was also a representative of the society, Anselm Hüttenbrenner, but Anselm never made the society aware of it and never had the piece performed. The suspicion led to various theories. Some say that Huttenbrenner was given an incomplete score, and therefore waiting for Schubert to finish it before he told anyone of the symphony. Because pages of the third movement appeared to have been torn out, others say that Huttenbrenner may have damaged or lost the remainder of the piece and chose to keep it a secret out of guilt. Regardless of the reason, Schubert’s close friend kept the 8th Symphony a secret for 37 years in, when he revealed the piece in 1865, 3 years before his death. Others also believe that the Entr'acte from Rosamunde was supposed to be the fourth and final movement of the symphony because it’s written in the home key with the same instrumentation.
More importantly than the drama surrounding the symphony is the transition into the Romantic Period from the Classical Period, however. The key of B minor was very unusual in the Classical Period, and Schubert’s modulation to G Major came after a surprisingly short transition of only 4 measures, which was also unusual in the Classic time. Schubert contributed a number of innovations to his period, including a relaxed tension in the middle of a movement, with the resolution at the end. In his short but efficient life, Franz Schubert laid a foundation that would be followed throughout the Romantic Period.