In his short, tumultuous life, Franz Schubert (1797-1828) produced an
astonishing amount of music. Symphonies, chamber music, opera, church
music, and songs (more than 600 of them) poured forth in profusion. His
"Trout" Quintet, his "Unfinished" Symphony, the last three piano
sonatas, and above all his song cycles Die Schone Mullerin and
Winterreise have come to be universally regarded as belonging to the
very greatest works of music? Who was the man who composed this amazing
succession of masterpieces, so many of which were either entirely
ignored or regarded as failures during his lifetime? In this new
biography, Elizabeth McKay paints a vivid portrait of Schubert and his
world. She explores his family background, his education and musical
upbringing, his friendships, and his brushes and flirtations with the
repressive authorities of Church and State. She discusses his experience
of the arts, literature, and theater, and his relations with the
professional and amateur musical world of his day. She traces the way
Schubert's manic-depression became an increasingly significant influence
in his life, responsible at least in part for social inadequacies,
professional ineptitude, and idiosyncrasies in his music. And she
examines Schubert's decline after he contracted syphilis, looking at its
effect on his music and emotional life.
20 MB PDF
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