vThe Secret Life of Frank Shubert
Austria has always been known as the birthplace of some of the greatest composers of the 18th and 19th century. Great names such as, Beethoven, Johaan Strauss and Mozart claiming their heritage to Austria’s rolling hills and blue skies. However, a lesser known musical genius was also born in Austria in 1797 1 , Franz Peter Shubert. The prodigy amongst 14 children, of which only five, survived while the other nine died within their very first years. His parents, a well-known parish school teacher by the name of Franz Theodore Schubert was his father while his mother was the daughter of a Silesian master locksmith.
His Father never had any formal training musically, but whatever gifts he did possess he p[assed unto his son with the most fervent passion even if they were only musical basics.
Franz was homely, humble and above all hidden underneath the long shadows that Beethoven and Mozart cast upon his career. Nevertheless, that never impeded Franz from being not only the first great Romantic composer of his time, breaking out of the liturgies of the Baroque era, but an astoundingly prolific and experienced composer of all types of music within his time. He composed more than 600 Lieder, while making paramount contributions to the disciplines of piano, chamber and symphonic repertoires.
Franz begun at the tender age of six, by receiving regular instruction for his father. He was so teeming with talent and genius that he began to attend his fathers school the following year. his father taught him the very basics of the violin while his brother, Ignaz, one of the surviving five, taught him the beauty of the piano. However, by the later months of his 7th year he had already outgrown his teachers...
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...even complete symphonies as well as the two movements of the unfinished symphony a complete sketch of a ninth and arguable fragments of a tenth. Franz Schubert’s music continues to be popular. His major works consist of; two song cycle, Die schone Mullerin and Winterreise, as well as hundreds of individual songs; nine symphonies, notably NO. 8 in B Minor (Unfinished) and No. 9 in C Major (The Great); about 35 chamber works, including Piano Quintet and A Major (The Trout)(Hanning 414). He was truly a great composer of his time. Proving that no shadow, and no humble beginning is to great or to small to achieve immortality, even amongst the greatest of your era.
Work Cited
Frost, Henry. Franz Schubert: A Biography. Sampson, Low, Marston, and CO. London. 1892
Hanning, R. Barbara. Concise History of Western Music. Fourth Edition. New York. Norton & Company Inc. 2010
Stolba, M. K. (1998) The Development of Western Music, A History, Third Edition. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill
Joplin's talent was revealed at an early age. Encouraged by his parent's, he became extremely proficient on the banjo and gained an interest for playing the piano. After Joplin's parents purchased a piano for the family, he taught himself how to play the instrument so well that his piano playing became remarkable. Joplin soon began playing for church and local social events. By age eleven, while under the teachings of a German music teacher named Juliuss Weiss, Joplin was learning the finer points of harmony and style. As a teenager, he played well enough to be employed as a dance musician.
John was a talented youngster. At the tender age of 6 he was studying music. He learned to play many types of instruments; the
Howard, John Tasker, and George Kent Bellows. A Short History of Music in America. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1957. 342-3. Print.
Beethoven’s early life was one out of a sad story book. For being one of the most well-known musicians one would think that sometime during Beethovens childhood he was influenced and inspired to play music; This was not the case. His father was indeed a musician but he was more interested in drinking than he was playing music. When his father saw the smallest sliver of music interest in Beethoven he immediately put him into vigorous musical training in hopes he would be the next Mozart; his training included organ, viola, and piano. This tainted how young Beethoven saw music and the memories that music brought. Nevertheless Beethoven continued to do what he knew and by thirteen he was composing his own music and assisting his teacher, Christian Neefe. Connections began to form during this time with different aristocrats and families who stuck with him and became lifelong friends. At 17 Beethoven, with the help of his friends, traveled to Vienna, the music capitol of the world, to further his knowledge and connection...
Liszt’s father, Adam Liszt, was an official in the service of Prince Esterhazy, whose palace in Eisenstadt was frequented by many celebrated musicians. By the time, Franz was five years old; he was already attracted to the piano and was soon given lessons by his father. He began to show interest in both church and Gypsy music. He developed into a religious child, also because of the influence of his father.
“Leopold Mozart, a court musician, began teaching Maria Anna, his first-born child, to play harpsichord when she was 8 years old. She progressed quickly, with 3-year-old Wolfgang often at her side.” Maria Anna was getting very good very quickly, with the help from her brother Wolferl. Both siblings helped eachother out , “Nannerl probably interpreted for Wolfgang and reinforced for Wolfgang what Leopold was trying to teach. She showed him that music is not only fun, but a way to communicate without words.” He learned from his sister the true meaning behind music, which made him grow as a performer. Support from family or friends is what separates a person from achieving their goals, or stumbling under the pressure, but both Maria Anna and Wolferl persevered with the help of each other and there dad and both achieved great
Many prominent musicians produced major works during the romantic period. Among these are Beethoven, Strause, and Bach. But the musician that I think had the most impact, was Franz Schubert. Franz Peter, born on 31 January 1797 was one of fourteen children born of Franz Theodore Schubert and Elisabeth Vietz, four of which survived. He grew up in an apartment that daily converted to a classroom in which his father taught several elementary school classes. He received a thorough basic education; his father being a good teacher, and son being a bright student. From his father Franz also learned to play the violin, and from his brother he learned the piano. The family, indeed, was a very musical one; family "String Quartet Parties" were well known in the part of Vienna in which they lived. But soon young Franz learned all that his family had to teach him. Later, any neighbors who could play any instruments were drawn in and the quartet became a little orchestra. At nine years old, this inquisitive little boy auditioned and was accepted for a position as a chorister in the Royal Court Chapel Choir (which would later become the 'Vienna Boys' Choir). The young chorister gained the attention of Antonio Saliere, who saw to the nurture the young boy's education. After leaving the choir, he continued as a student at the school for one unhappy year. Schubert returned to live at home where it was decided that he would help his father teach. This did not last long. A disastrous episode with an unruly pupil was the last straw and Schubert at age nineteen left teaching and his home to pursue what he loved, composing. He moved in to the...
Burkholder, J. Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A history of western music. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Beethoven was born on December 17, 1770 in Bann, Germany. From a young age Beethoven was involved with music because he came from three generations of musicians. He received instruction from his father on the piano and violin. One of his earliest concerts was in front of his father’s peers against his will. Beethoven had a fiery temper and was somewhat introverted in his school years. Beethoven went to school until the age of ten. At this time his family’s finances prevented his family from affording the education that he needed. In July of 1787, Beethoven’s life was further thrown into disarray with the death of his mother. Despite Beethoven’s misfortune he would still achieve monumental amounts of success while in Vienna. His success can be attributed to the fact that he crafted relatio...
Grove, George. The Musical Times Volume 47. United Kingdom: Musical Times Publications Ltd. 1906, Print.
Seaton, Douglass. Ideas and Styles in the Western Musical Tradition. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1991. 153.
Haydn is an Austrian composer who worked under patronage of the Esterházy court. Haydn composed over a hundred symphonies through his entire career. He is especially popular for the twelve symphonies in 1790s in England. Known as the London Symphonies or Salomon Symphonies. Haydn’s symphonies and his quartets are the spiritual birthplace of Beethoven’s style.
The. Burkholder, J. P., Donald J. Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. A History of Western Music. Eight ed. of the book. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010.
Mozart was born on Jan. 27, 1756, in Salzburg, Austria. His father was Leopold Mozart, a composer and a popular violinist. Mozart received his early musical training from his father. At the early age of 3 Mozart showed signs of being a musical genius. Then, at the age of five Mozart started composing. Beginning in 1762 Mozart’s father took young Mozart and his older sister, Maria Anna, on tours in Europe where they played the piano, harpsichord, violin, and organ, together and separately. Mozart learned to play the piano, harpsichord, and violin from his father. He gave public concerts and played at numerous courts and received several commissions.