Franz Schubert

Born in Vienna in 1797 and died in the same city in 1828, Franz Schubert sits at the hinge between late classical music and the nascent Romanticism. Trained very early in music, notably with Antonio Salieri, he composed in almost all genres, but his name remains especially tied to the German lied, which he renews through a very close relationship between text, vocal line, and piano writing. Franz Schubert left more than 600 lieder, among them Gretchen am Spinnrade, Erlkönig, and Ave Maria, as well as cycles such as Die schöne Müllerin (1823), Winterreise (1827), and the posthumous Schwanengesang (1828). His catalogue also includes symphonies, sacred music, piano works and a substantial portion of the chamber repertoire, notably the Quintet The Trout, the String Quartet Death and the Maiden, the String Quintet in C major and the late piano sonatas of 1828. Long circulated in private Viennese circles, his music gained visibility in the 1820s, especially at Schubertiades and thanks to performers close to him such as the baritone Johann Michael Vogl. Franz Schubert gave only one major concert devoted to his works in 1828, a few months before his death at the age of 31.