A; CO HoJIl PRESENTED BY \\'?^')^H\1 Date Due : FRANZ SCHUBERT A MUSICAL BIOGRAPHY. FROM THE GERMAN OF DR. HEINRICH KREISSLE VON HELLBORN. EY EDWARD WILBERFORCE. AidJior of " Social Life in Munich'' " One loith Another" Sfc. / LONDON Wm. H. ALLEN & Co., 13, WATERLOO PLACE, S.W. 1866. .y r _ß- PREFACE. The present volume is considerably condensed from the work of Doctor Heiimch Kreissle von Hellborn, published towards the end of last year by Gerold of Yiemia. On reading that work it struck me that it contained much information which would be new and valuable to the English public, and Dr. Kreissle kmdly gave me permission to select what I thought would answer this purpose. His object was to make Schubert better knoAvn and more duly appre- ciated, and he was aware that an English public would not derive an equal interest from facts which would please his German readers. VI PREFACE. In his Preface Dr. Kreissle remarks on the difficulty of constructing a Life of Schubert which shall be interesting in a purely biogra- phical point of view. What Schindler said of Schubert, that his life presented neither hill nor valley but an open plain, is perfectly true ; and many writers who have preceded Dr. Kreissle in attemptmg a biography have withdrawn with a confession of faihu^e. The reader will soon discover that there is a remarkable scarcity of incident m this life; that Schubert travelled little, mixed little with great contemporaries, or mth the illustrious contemporaries on whom so many musicians have depended; and that to him the art of music was all-m-all. But on the other hand his Kfe is, mdeed, the life of an artist. The absence of external affairs makes the musician stand more clearly before us. Great man himself, he needed not the society of other great men to make him remarkable. The astonishmg fertility of which we have so many PREFACE. VU records in the course of his life, the genius to which so many and such great works bear wit- ness, the acknowledgment of that genius by such men as Beethoven and Weber, may well stand in the place of journeys, and theatricals, and quarrels, in which unfortunately so many musical hves abound, and which detract from the real value of artistic biography. Of my own share in this work I wish to speak with all modesty. The merits belong to the original author. That I have not adhered either to his words or his arrangement, and that I have sometimes put in opinions which will not be found in tjj^e original, and with which the original author might very possibly dis- agree, may perhaps be a fault, but it is almost inevitable if one is to avoid translation, and to give due force to the meaning of a work without being servile to the accidents of its country. Edward Wilberforce. A CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Pase Musical Pre- Birth and Parentage—Early Years at Home— Composi- cocity—The Little Einger of a aenius—Eirst Paper tions—A Eree School in Vienna-Want of Music Makes Per- —The Corpse Eantasia—Exactness—Practice The fect—Narrow Circumstances—A Touching Appeal— Itahan Boy composes Operas—Salieri— Character of an The Master's —Saheri and Mozart—Salieri and Schubert— Pride in his Pupil CHAPTER II. Hopeless Beginning of the Second Period—Usher in a School— His Stupidity—Most Prolific Year of His Life—Some of in a best Songs—The Erl King—More than Eifty Songs Year-Operas—Consistent Eaüure—Saheri' s Jubilee— A Poem by Bchubert—His Eirst Earnings—Written for Autobiography a Eestival—A Musical Society—Yalue of —Diaries and Letters—Entries in Schubert's Diary— Pictures—On Eeelings of Despondency—Judgment on Interim 20 Saheri's Jubilee—General Senthnents— CHAPTER III. Teacher-Certificate Leaves School-Attempts to Get Post of from Salieri—Help of Eriends-Schober-Mayrhofer— Clairvoyance— Yogi—Singer and Composer—Musical ——A CONTENTS. Pape wise Father who knows His Own Cliild—Yogi's Cor- rections—Introduces Schubert to the Pubhc—Faithful Admirers—Overtures in the ItaUan Style—The Rossini Furore—Hatred of Pupil Teaching—The Esterhazy Fa- mily—Eomantic Episode—Liszt on Schubert—Stay in Hungary—How to pick up National Airs—Influence of other Composers —The Mourning Waltzes . .47 CHAPTER IV. Unfavourable state of the Times—Letters of Schubert's Thoughts on Rossini—True Genius excludes Envy Schubert debarred from the Opera—Schubert and Groethe —Did Groethe know of Schubert ? —Not till it was too Late—Effect of the " Erl King" on its Creator—An Operetta—Plot and Music—Not much Inspiration— Melodrama—Discovery of Schubertian Manusoripts—An Oratorio—Offers of Patronage—First Pubhc Reception A Concert—The Audience and the Critics ... 69 CHAPTER Y. Appearance of the " Erl King"—Op. 1—Transactions with PubHshers—Profit and Loss—Business Men and Men of G-enius—A Curiosity of Literature—A PubHsher's Habits —Honour and Profits—Trading on Reputations—Creat Names—Dance Music—Admission to Society—Country Excursions—Grand Operas—Schubert and Weber—Pro- duction of Euryanthe—Criticism or Hostility?—First Operas like first Puppies—The Case against Schubert from a Son of Weber 94 CHAPTER YI. A Most Important Year—Drama of Rosamond—The Wolf, by Mr. So-and-So—Another Grand Opera—Another Failure — Posthumous Success — Contemporary Treat- ment—The Reception of MSS. by the Yiennese Opera Thoughts of a Librettist—Impressions of the Same Genesis of some Songs—A desponding Letter—A despon- — — — — ———A CONTENTS. XI Page ding Diary New Yisit to Hungary Tour in the Salz- kammergut—Grmunden—Songs from the Lady of the Lake—Salzburg Barbarossa—The Way to Gastein The Pass of Lueg—Scenes from the War in the Tyrol . 119 CHAPTER YII. Schubert tries for an Appointment —Weigl is preferred— Mass at the Imperial Chapel—Imperial Style in Music A Scene in the Opera House— Its Accuracy questioned —Eyewitnesses and Memories—Correspondence with Pubhshers—Ease and Simphcity demanded—Low Terms offered—Hands full and Pockets empty—A Bird in the Hand—Not Suited to a Parisian Pubhc .... 151 CHAPTER YIII. Composing under Difficulties—Difficulty the test of Genius Schubert and Beethoven—First Notice from Beethoven " —Schindler's Account of their Meeting—" Not at Home —Beethoven at Dinner—Late Appreciation—Laudari a Laudato Viro—Death of Beethoven—His Funeral Schubert a Torch-bearer—Drinking to Himself—Visit to Gratz—Compositions of 1827—Reasons for declining a Poem—Composer and Poet— Rules for Musical Setting —Schubert and Mendelssohn 168 CHAPTER IX. Last Year of Schubert's Life—Musical Activity—Seventh Symphony—Judgment of Schumann— Schumann's Yisit to Yienna—The Six Symphonies—A German Critic and an EngHsh Poet—The Danube—Analysis of the Sym- phony—Wonderful Talent—Eternal Youth—Posterity and Contemporaries —Too hard to be Performed—Other Works of the same Year Latest^ Sonata_s —Schumann's Reception of a Dedication—Schubert and his Family Schubert's only Concert—Great Success—The Spring Thoughts of a Tour—Abandoned for Want of Money Beginnings of Illness—Lachner at Pesth—Letter from Schindler—Schubert too ill to travel .... 190 — — XU CONTENTS. Page CHAPTER X. Schubert's Illness—Nothing serious apprehended—The Last Days—Schubert's Death—Property he Left—His Monu- ment—Schumann on Fairer Hopes—Schubert's Personal Appearance—Nothing Remarkable in his Face—A Second Falstaff—His Character Schindler on his Life—Pro- digality—Absence of Practical Industry—Instances Playing in Company—Accustomed to Neglect—Scliubert with his Friends —Love of Wine— Occasional Excesses Breaking Glasses—Later Feelings —Review of his Life . 217 CHAPTER XI. Schubert's Works—Sketch of the G-emian Song—Its early His- tory—Effect of the Reformat ion—North Germany—Riseof German Poetry—Mozart—Beethoven—Schubert—Poets chosen by Schubert— Cycles of Songs— Larger Compo- sitions —Miriam—Treatment of the Exodus—Schubert's Songs during his Lifetime—His Posthumous Popularity —His Masses—A Pirate at Prague— Symphonies—Trios —Sonatas—Schumann on the Sonatas—A Ludicrous Ending—Compared with Beethoven—Other Works — Conclusion 238 Appendix.— On Musical Biography ; an Essay . 261 FRANZ SCHUBERT. CHAPTER I. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE —EARLY YEARS AT HOME—MUSICAL PRECOCITY—THE LITTLE FINGER OF A GENIUS—FIRST COMPOSITIONS —A FREE SCHOOL IN VIENNA WANT OF MUSIC PAPER—THE CORPSE FANTASIA —EXACTNESS PRAC- TICE MAKES PERFECT—NARROW CIRCUMSTANCES —A TOUCH- ING APPEAL—THE BOY COMPOSES OPERAS SALIERI — CHARACTER OF AN ITALIAN —SALIERI AND MOZART— SALI- ERI AND SCHUBERT —THE MASTER S PRIDE IN HIS PUPIL. The family of Schubert comes from the neigh- bourhood of Zukmantel in Austrian Silesia. The composer's father left his native village and came up to Vienna, first as assistant to a brother, who was schoolmaster in the Leopoldstadt suburb, and then as schoolmaster himself in the suburb of Lichtenthal. He was con- 1 Z FRANZ SCHUBERT. sidered a good master, and his school was much frequented. At the age of nineteen he married a countrywoman of his who was three years older than himself, and was in service as a cook. Her name was Ehzabeth Fitz. She bore him fourteen children, of whom only five survived ; and after her death, he married a second wife, who bore him five more. The youngest of the four sons by the first marriage was Franz Peter Schubert, the sub- ject of this volume. He was born on the 81st of January, 1797, at No. 72, m the suburb Himmelpfortgrund, parish of Lichtenthal. The house in which he was born bears the sign of the Red Crab, and is now No. 54, in the upper part of the mam street leadmg to the Nussdorf lines. It is marked by a tablet of grey marble, with the mscription " Franz Schubert's Geburtshaus;" and with a lyre on the right, and a wreath of laurel with the date of his birth on the left.