Story Lives of Great Musicians Part 14

No. 4 in B-flat, Op. 60. 1807.

No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67. 1808.

No. 6 in F, Op. 68. The Pastoral. 1808.

No. 7 in A, Op. 92. 1813.

No. 8 in F, Op. 93. 1814.

No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125. The Choral. 1824.

Wellington's Victory (Battle of Vittoria), Op. 91 (performed in 1813).

1816.

Overture to Coriolan, Op. 62 (performed in 1807). 1808.

Overture in C (Namensfeier), Op. 115 (performed in 1815). 1825.

Overture in C (Die Weihe des Hauses), Op. 124 (performed in 1822).

1825.

Septet in E-flat for strings and wind, Op. 20. 1802.

s.e.xtet in E-flat for wind instruments, Op. 71. 1810.

s.e.xtet in E-flat for strings and two horns, Op. 81_b_. 1810.

2 String Quintets: Op. 4 in E-flat. 1797.

Op. 29 in C. 1801.

17 String Quartets: Op. 18, Nos. 1 to 6 (F, G, D, C minor, A, B-flat). 1801.

Op. 59, Nos. 1 to 3 (F, E minor, C). The Rasonmoffsky. 1808.

Op. 74, in E-flat. The Harfen-quartet. 1810.

Op. 95, in F minor. 1816.

Op. 127, in E-flat. 1826.

Op. 130, in B-flat. } Op. 131, in C-sharp minor. } The Posthumous Quartets.

Op. 132, in A minor. } 1827.

Op. 135, in F. } Op. 133, Great Fugue in B-flat. 1827.

5 String Trios: Op. 3, in E-flat. 1797.

Op. 9, Nos. 1 to 3 (G, D, C minor). 1798.

Op. 8, in D. The Serenade Trio. 1797.

Serenade in D, for flute, violin, and viola, Op. 25. 1802.

Concerto in D, for violin and orchestra, Op. 61. 1806.

2 Romances for violin and orchestra: Op. 40, in G. 1803.

Op. 50, in F. 1805.

5 Concertos for pianoforte and orchestra: No. 1 in C, Op. 15. 1801.

No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 19. 1801.

No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37. 1804.

No. 4 in G, Op. 58. 1808.

No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 73. The Emperor. 1811.

Choral Fantasia in C minor, Op. 80. 1811.

Quintet in E-flat, for pianoforte and wind, Op. 16. 1801.

6 Trios for pianoforte, violin, and violoncello: Op. 1, Nos. 1 to 3 (E-flat, G, C minor). 1795 Op. 70, Nos. 1 and 2 (D, E-flat). 1809.

Op. 97, Grand Trio in B-flat. 1816.

10 Sonatas for pianoforte and violin.

[We must mention the Kreutzer Sonata in A, Op. 47. 1805.]

5 Sonatas for pianoforte and violoncello.

32 Sonatas for pianoforte alone.

[We have only s.p.a.ce to mention the Pathetic (in C minor, Op. 13, 1799), the Moonlight (in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2, 1802), the Waldstein (in C, Op. 53, 1805), and the Farewell (in E-flat, Op.

81_a_, 1811).]

Andante Favori in F. 1806.

23 sets of Variations.

Scena and Aria, Ah! perfido, Op. 65. 1805.

Adelaide, Op. 46. 1797.

Mignon's Song, 'Kennst du das Land?' Op. 75, No. 1. 1810.

Liederkreis (six Songs), Op. 98. 1816.

60 other Songs.

For a fuller account of Beethoven's life the reader is advised to consult--

SCHINDLER'S Life of Beethoven (translated by Moscheles). 2 vols. Colburn. 1841.

Beethoven's LETTERS (1790-1826) have been translated by Lady Wallace. 2 vols. Longmans. 1866.

SCHUBERT

SCHUBERT

If you are ever in the city of Vienna, and bend your steps to the district called the Lichtenthal, you will there find a thoroughfare, running north and south, called the Nussdorfer Stra.s.se. This is its present name, but in former times it was known as 'Auf dem Himmelpfortgrund'--meaning 'Off the Gate of Heaven'--the 'Himmelpfortgrund' itself being a small street branching off to the west towards the fortifications. On the right-hand side of the Nussdorfer Stra.s.se, as you face the outskirts of the city, you will come upon a house bearing the number 54 (it was formerly numbered 72), and the curious sign of 'Zum rothen Krebsen' (the Red Crab). But your attention will at once be drawn to another feature of the house--a grey marble tablet fixed above the door, with the inscription 'Franz Schubert's Geburthaus' (the house in which Franz Schubert was born), in the centre, and on the right a lyre crowned with a star, and on the left a laurel wreath encircling the date '31 January, 1797.'

Nothing more than this inscribed tablet will be needed to bring home to your mind the fact that you are actually face to face with the house in which Schubert, the composer of those beautiful songs, 'The Erl King,' 'Hark, hark, the Lark,' and 'Sylvia,' first saw the light.

And as you stand before the home of the great song-writer your thoughts will revert in fancy to the time when, a century ago, there issued from that doorway the figure of a boy of eleven years of age, clad in a suit of grey so light as to be almost white, with chubby face, bright dark eyes, with a sparkle in them that the spectacles which he wore could not hide, and a head of thick, curly, black hair.

That boy was Franz Schubert, setting out for his examination to be admitted as a scholar at the Imperial Convict, as the school for educating the choristers of the Chapel Royal in Vienna was called.

The son of Franz Schubert, a schoolmaster in the Lichtenthal district, whose character for uprightness and honesty, in addition to his abilities, had won him the respect and esteem of all who knew him, little Franz had from the first shown a remarkable fondness for music.

The family were in poor circ.u.mstances, the father having sprung from a peasant stock, and by his own industry and a natural gift for teaching succeeded in raising himself to his present position, whilst his wife Elizabeth, in every way a perfect helpmeet for a poor man, was likewise of humble origin. Franz Schubert had nothing to depend upon but his schoolmaster's pay, and the family included, besides little Franz, three boys and a girl. Nevertheless, such encouragement as could be given to Franz in his love for music was given heartily and sympathetically, for there could not have been a more devoted family than his. At the first, however, Franz showed his independence by making friends with a joiner's apprentice, who used to take him to a certain pianoforte warehouse in the town, where, to his joy, he was permitted to play little tunes on one of the instruments. At home there was only an old, worn-out piano to practise upon, but with the aid of this and frequent visits to the warehouse the boy managed to acquire unaided a certain groundwork in music, so that when, at the age of seven, his father began to give him lessons on the violin he found that Franz had already made some headway. His elder brothers, Ignaz and Ferdinand, had been taken in hand by the father at the same age, and Ignaz, who was twelve years older than Franz, gave his little brother lessons on the pianoforte.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SCHUBERT.

From photo RISCHGITZ.]

It was soon clear, however, that neither Ignaz nor his father could keep pace with Franz's abilities--the boy had himself told Ignaz that he had no further need of his help, and could go on alone--and it was decided to send him to the choirmaster of the parish, Michael Holzer, to learn the violin and piano, as well as singing, the organ, and thorough-ba.s.s. Holzer, in turn, was astonished at the boy's powers, and a.s.sured the father that he had never had such a pupil before. 'If I wish to teach him anything now,' he declared, 'I find that he knows it already! I can only listen to him in amazement!'

Franz, with all his devotion to music, was a merry-hearted boy, never so happy as when, in the play-hour, he found himself surrounded by his schoolfellows, with whom he was first favourite. By the time he had reached his eleventh year his voice had acquired such power and beauty of expression as to procure him the chief soprano's place in the choir of the parish church, where he also played the violin solos as they occurred in the service. At home he was even then writing little songs and pieces for the pianoforte--an early promise of what was to follow. The family, as we have seen, were poor and hardworking, Ignaz and Ferdinand were helping their father in the school, and it was evident, therefore, that the talent which Franz undoubtedly possessed must be turned to good account as soon as possible. The necessary step to this end was to obtain his admittance to the Convict, in order that he might be trained for the Imperial Chapel, and in the meanwhile receive his education free in return for his services.

Accordingly, one morning in the month of October 1808, Franz, attired in his suit of grey, presented himself for examination by the Court Capellmeisters and singing-master. A number of boys were to be examined at the same time, and whilst they were waiting they indulged themselves in mirth and jokes at the expense of the short, chubby-faced, spectacled boy clad in grey, 'Hullo, my friend,' cried one, who towered a good foot above poor Franz's head, 'how did you leave your father the miller?'--an allusion to Franz's appearance which was greeted with a burst of laughter from the other boys. A second preferred a sarcastic inquiry as to the price of flour, whilst a third desired to know whether Franz expected to get through in such a garb--sallies which the victim bore with open good humour, the more so as he felt conscious of his own powers. And, indeed, the laugh was soon turned against his mockers; for, when he came to be examined, his singing of the trial-pieces, in addition to his skill in solving the problems set him, so astonished his examiners that they pa.s.sed him through at once, and he was ordered to don the uniform of the imperial choristers forthwith. With a glow of pride Franz arrayed himself in his new dress, which, with its edgings of gold lace, he thought dazzlingly beautiful after his despised suit of grey.

[Ill.u.s.tration: '_They indulged in jokes at the expense of the spectacled boy._']

Franz's entry into the Convict implied a long separation from home, but he soon found plenty to occupy his mind and claim his interest.

The school orchestra was a great feature of the new life, in which our hero, from his home studies, was enabled at once to take a prominent place. Practice was held daily, and the musicians bent their energies to mastering the overtures and symphonies of Haydn and Mozart, with the works of many of the minor masters. Even Beethoven's works were not considered to be beyond the scope of their powers as time went on.

The work of all others which made the deepest impression on Schubert's mind at this stage, however, was Mozart's 'G minor Symphony.' 'One can hear the angels singing in it,' he used to say. But he revelled also in the overtures to 'Figaro' and the 'Zauberflote,' and, indeed, the orchestral music to which he was now introduced opened up to his mind a vista of never-ending delight.

On the very first day that he took his seat in the orchestra his clever playing attracted the attention of the leader, a big fellow named Spaun, who sat immediately in front of him. On turning round to ascertain who it was that was bringing forth such excellent tone from his fiddle, and, moreover, playing with such precision, Spaun discovered it to be 'a small boy in spectacles, named Franz Schubert.'

From that moment big Spaun became little Franz's intimate friend and counsellor. To him one day Franz, who was characteristically shy of speaking about himself and his longings, made a blus.h.i.+ng admission that he had already composed a good deal. 'Indeed,' he added, as if in extenuation, 'indeed, I cannot help it, and I should do it every day, only I cannot afford to get music-paper.' Spaun grasped the situation at once, and thenceforth Franz was kept supplied with all the music-paper he required, a kindness for which he showed his grat.i.tude by devoting his spare time to composition. In his playing, too, he made such rapid progress that before long he was taking the first violin, and on occasions when Ruzicka, the conductor, was not present he was appointed to lead the orchestra. It was observed by others besides Ruzicka and Spaun how greatly Schubert's gifts and earnestness influenced the rest of the players, and tended to increase and strengthen their taste for good music. His deep sentiment for what was greatest and best in his art had from the first separated him from his schoolfellows, and now the magnetism of his genius and earnestness was drawing them one after another to his side. Franz Schubert had already become a power in the school.