Sometimes they would go for a picnic or on a river trip. Schubert wrote his popular Trout Quintet when he was just It got its name because the fourth movement is a set of variations on an earlier Schubert song called, funnily enough, The Trout.
The song was originally a warning to young women against being 'caught' by 'angling' young men. The title though was given just to distinguish it from another of his symphonies which is also in the key of C known as the Little C.
In a letter of March , pictured, the composer did say he was preparing himself to write 'a grand symphony'. These songs express every shade of human emotion — tenderness, drama, even evocations of the countryside.
Through them Schubert demonstrated a profound appreciation of the possibilities of the human voice. Schubert contracted syphilis in and became seriously ill. On his deathbed, the mighty Ludwig van Beethoven is said to have looked at some of Schubert's works and exclaimed, "Truly, the spark of divine genius resides in this Schubert!
Schubert died in November In , a memorial was erected in Vienna's Stadtpark pictured. Liszt, Schumann, Brahms and Mendelssohn all championed his works. See more Schubert News. See more Schubert Music. The resulting performances, as well as Schubert's other pieces, greatly expanded his popularity and appeal.
He also showed himself to be a visionary. His composition "Quartettsatz [Quartet-Movement] in C minor," helped spark a wave of string quartets that would dominate the music scene later in the decade. But Schubert had his struggles as well. In , he was hired by two opera houses, the Karthnerthof Theatre and Theatre-an-der-Wein, to compose a pair of operas, neither of which fared very well.
Music publishers, meanwhile, were afraid to take a chance on a young composer like Schubert, whose music was not considered traditional. His fortunes began to change in , when, with the help of some friends, he began offering his songs on a subscription basis. Money started coming his way. In Vienna especially, Schubert's harmonious songs and dances were popular. Across the city, concert parties called Schubertiaden sprung up in the homes of wealthy residents.
By late , however, Schubert encountered another difficult period. His financial needs going unmet, and his friendships increasingly strained, Schubert's life was further darkened when he became severely sick—historians believe he almost certainly contracted syphilis. And yet, Schubert continued to produce at a prolific rate. None of the finished pieces, however, brought him the fortune he deserved or so greatly needed.
Battling health problems, Schubert again turned to music for escape. For a time, Schubert, almost constantly penniless, returned to teaching. In , Schubert applied for the job of deputy musical director at the Stadtkonvikt. While certainly a top candidate, he failed to land the job. Still, his fortunes during this period began to improve. His impressive musical output continued, and his popularity in Vienna increased. He was even in negotiations with four different publishers.
This work included the first 12 songs of the "Winterreise," as well as the "Piano Sonata in C Minor" and two piano solos, "Impromptus" and "Moments Musicaux. In , the last year of his life, Schubert, though obviously ill, stayed committed to his craft.
It was during this time that he produced what is quite possibly his greatest piano duet, "Fantasy in F Minor. In addition, Schubert finished "String Quintet in C Major," considered by musical historians to be the classical era's final piece. Oddly enough, Schubert's first and final public concert took place on March 26, , and it proved successful enough that it allowed the great composer to finally buy himself a piano.
Exhausted, and with his health continuing to deteriorate, Schubert moved in with his brother, Ferdinand. Various performers pick and choose the verses involved — some want to be a horse, some a bear, some just a penny in a pocket — but invariably, the fish remains. Originally written for tenor, this performance has transposed the song to suit the voice — a precedent set by Schubert himself. Relatively simple in melodic line, the singers often match notes from an end of one phrase to the start of the next, and spend extended phrases in intervals that are easy to stretch one way or another.
To keep together, and in tune, requires skill.
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