Franciszek Schubert

This artist was born in Vienna in 1797. From a young age, he studied music with his father until his potential was recognized and he was enrolled in lessons with a church choir conductor. When Franciszek was 11 years old, he became a member of the Palace Chapel choir and received a scholarship, which allowed him to continue his education at a court school. In 1813, he became a teacher at his father's school and composed the song 'King of the Alders' based on Goethe's poem during this time. He then quit his job as he decided to live solely from music, which was not successful. During this era, the theater and opera were most valued, and although Schubert composed operatic works, he never gained fame for them. Some of his operas include 'Alfonso and the Star' and 'Friends from Salamanca'. However, this composer excelled in creating so-called lieder (romantic songs), of which he wrote around 150 between 1815 and 1816. Among Schubert's song cycles, mention should be made of 'The Beautiful Miller', 'Winter Journey', and 'The Swan Song'. He also composed chamber music (such as the String Quartet in A minor 'Rosamunde', String Quartet in D minor 'Death of the Maiden', Quintet in A major 'Trout'), piano works (Fantasy in C major 'Wanderer'), religious works (such as Stabat Mater, 'Lazarus'), and symphonies (such as the IV Symphony in E minor 'Tragic', VIII Symphony in B minor 'Unfinished') comparable to Beethoven's brilliant symphonies. This artist's style was natural, subjective, and poetic. His works gave rise to the romantic movement in Europe and were defended by artists such as Robert Schumann and Felix Mendelssohn. Despite these achievements, Schubert did not fare well, as he was always financially unstable, and the illness that began to manifest itself from 1824 ended his life 4 years later in Vienna.