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Franz Schubert
(1797 - 1828)
- He
was born in
Himmelpfortgrund, a suburb of Vienna, Austria, a little more than 200 years ago, on
January 31, 1797
- He
is a leading
composer of the early Romantic Period
- He
began composing
music in school, and he wrote his first
of a total 600 songs when he was 14 years old
- As a boy he
learned violin from his father, piano from his brother and, because he had
such a beautiful soprano voice, was admitted to the
Imperial Chapel and School where the court singers were trained .
- He was a school teacher for about a year, but he quit
because he felt the students bothered him too much when he was trying to
compose at his desk!
- He had many
friends and they used to get together for musical evenings they called
Schubertiads
- He was very
unsuccessful during his lifetime. On March 26, 1828, he presented a public
concert of his works. This may have been the only public performance of his
music during his lifetime.
- He was a great
admirer of Beethoven, but he was too shy to speak to him.
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Die Forelle (The Trout)
1817
In
a quiet brook the joyous trout darted around like an arrow. I stood
on the bank watching the lively fish swim in the clear water.
A fisherman stood on the bank with
his rod. As long as the water is clear, I thought, he won't catch
that fish.
But the fisherman grew impatient.
He made the water cloudy. Soon, his rod quivered and the fish struggled
on the hook. And I, my blood boiling, looked at the poor creature.
On the other hand . . .
In "The Trout", the fisherman
wins and the trout loses. In another of Schubert's songs though,"
Der Fischer" (The Fisherman), the cruel fisherman is dragged
down to the bottom of the sea and is never seen again.
So . . do you think Schubert
was a fisherman?
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