Schubert

Franz Peter Schubert (31 January 1797 – 19 November 1828) was an Austrian composer who lived in Vienna and is regarded as a leading figure of the early Romantic era. He produced a prodigious and varied body of work, spanning songs, piano music, chamber music, and orchestral pieces, and is especially celebrated for his mastery of the German Lied.

Schubert is best known for his songs, with approximately 600 vocal works that set poetry by writers such as Goethe, Müller, and Heine. Among his most famous lieder are Erlkönig, Gretchen am Spinnrade, and Die Forelle, as well as the song cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise. His music often emphasizes expressive melody, rich harmonic language, and a close interplay between text and music.

In instrumental music, Schubert wrote nine symphonies, several of which were completed in the later part of his life, including the famous Unfinished Symphony No. 8 and the large-scale Great Symphony No. 9. He also produced notable chamber works and a substantial amount of piano music, such as the Impromptus and Moments musicaux, as well as the Trout Quintet, which incorporates a theme from Die Forelle.

Schubert spent most of his life in Vienna, where he enjoyed the company of a circle of friends and patrons. He died there in 1828 at the age of 31. Although his music received limited public attention during his lifetime, his reputation grew rapidly after his death, and he became a central influence on the development of the Romantic Lied, as well as on later German-speaking composers. Private gatherings known as Schubertiads helped popularize his works in the 19th century.

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