Did you know that Franz Schubert was one of the fastest composers ever? Although Schubert only lived until the age of 31, he composed over 1000 works in 18 years! Schubert was so fast that he often started and finished a composition on the same day. Schubert wrote 600 songs, 9 symphonies, dances for the piano (especially waltzes), operas, sonatas, and chamber music.

Franz Peter Schubert (1797 – 1828)

Franz Schubert was born near Vienna, Austria on January 31, 1797. His father was a school teacher and ran a private school. He taught Franz to play the violin, and Franz’s older brother Ignaz taught him to play the piano and write music. They soon realized that young Franz was very talented, and he quickly became a better pianist than his brother. By age 10, Franz was the best singer in the local church and com- posed music for the church services. A year later Schubert won a choir scholarship to go to a school in Vienna. He studied very hard, took music lessons at night, and sang at concerts and church services on the weekends. He was a good student, and his teachers were impressed by his musi- cal talent. During his free time, Schubert preferred to practice and compose instead of spending time with other students. He was very shy and quiet.

Schubert at the piano performing for friends Fun Facts

During the three years when Schubert was a • Schubert learned to play school teacher, he still found time to write the piano, violin and more than 400 pieces, including 350 songs. organ, and was a very tal- ented singer as a boy until his voice changed.

An Unhappy Teacher • Schubert did not own a Schubert’s father wanted his son to be a piano and had to use teacher rather than a musician, so after finish- ing his studies in Vienna, Franz came home to someone else’s instru- ment to hear his compositions. teach at his father’s school. He stayed there for three years but he hated the job. • Schubert was only about 5 feet tall, so Becoming Known as a Composer his friends gave him the nickname Schubert was so unhappy teaching school Schwammerl, which in German means that he quit when he was 19. He became little mushroom. friends with some important musicians and focused on composing. His friends helped him • Schubert fell in love with Therese Grob get started in his musical career. One of them when he was just a poor teacher. Her was Johann Michael Vogl, a singer and com- parents wanted a better match for her, so poser who liked Schubert’s music and per- she married a wealthy baker instead. formed many of his songs. Soon Schubert began to gain recognition as a composer.

Schubert’s Life as a Composer On a typical day, Schubert might compose from 9 in the morning until 2 in the Schubert’s Music afternoon. Then he would meet with his friends at a café to drink coffee, talk, and read Schubert is best known for his songs the papers. He was a very fast composer. There and symphonies. Sometimes he com- are many stories told by his friends about how posed a group of songs on a single subject, he would come up with an idea for a work and while other works are single songs for then quickly write it down. He never com- voice and piano. Although Schubert posed at the piano because it made him lose lived in the same time and place as his train of thought. Instead he preferred com- Beethoven, his symphonies are very dif- plete silence. ferent. One of his most famous works is Unlike Beethoven, who was composing and his Symphony #8, which he never fin- performing in Vienna during the same time, ished. Although it has only two move- Schubert was shy and did not like to play his ments, it is frequently played today. music at public concerts. Because of this, many of his compositions were not well known. His Music Schubert was blessed with kind friends, how- • 9 symphonies (1 was unfinished and ever, who helped him promote his music. They there are unfinished ideas for more) would throw parties they called Schubertiads, • Over 600 songs (145 of them were which gave Schubert the opportunity to play written in 1815!) his compositions in a smaller setting where he felt more comfortable. He also composed many works for piano, four hands, solo piano works, Changing Musical Styles chamber music, a number of masses and Like Beethoven, Schubert wrote music at a other religious works. time that was in between the Classical and Romantic periods. Schubert and Beethoven

3 are often called transitional composers. This beautiful melodies, great harmonies, and sud- means that their music was like a bridge den changes of key. between the Classical and Romantic styles. Schubert was in poor health for the last few They influenced the composers who came years of his life. He died of a fever in 1828 and after them in the Romantic period. Few com- was buried next to Beethoven, whom he great- posers changed their writing styles as much as ly admired. Although few people realized it at Schubert did. His early works sound like the the time, Schubert was one of history’s greatest Classical music of Mozart, and his later works composers and inspired many other musicians, sound very Romantic, like the music of including Frédéric Chopin and Robert Brahms or Wagner. All of his works are full of Schumann.

Schubert’s Songs

Schubert is famous for his beautiful vocal music. He was trained as a singer at school, Song Cycles so he understood how to write songs. He This is a group of songs that are per- also loved poetry and was inspired to com- formed together. Often, the composer pose music when he read poems. used poems from the same poet for all of the songs in the cycle. They might all be about the same topic or tell a story. Schubert’s songs are called lied or This idea was invented by Beethoven. lieder. Lied (pronounced leed) means Schubert wrote several song cycles, song in German, and lieder is songs. including his famous Winterreise (which means Winter Journey). It has 24 songs He wrote more than 600 songs that were and tells the story of a man who is reject- often based on German poems about nature ed by a woman and wanders from place or love. They were performed in small, to place. Each song shows his changing informal settings like recitals or parties or mood, from sadness to anger. just at people’s homes.

Schubert’s Famous Piano Works

Fantasie in F Minor D. 940, for piano, four hands Schubert wrote this piece very quickly during the last year of his life. This is one of the most significant and famous pieces for four hands. The piece has four movements, but they are played without breaks between them. It takes about 20 minutes to play the whole work. The delicate opening theme is simple and beautiful, and uses dotted rhythms and returns in the very last movement. Schubert playing for his friends. Schubert was a very good pianist and understood how to compose for the Impromtpus instrument. He wrote beautiful, flow- Schubert wrote two sets of four Impromptus. The first is Opus ing melodies and tried to play the 90, and includes four pieces in different keys. The second set piano with a lovely singing sound. He was not published until after Schubert’s death, and is designated was always happy to play for his by Op. posthumous 142. The word “posthumous” means a work friends at parties and sometimes was published after the composer died. made up the music on the spot.

4 Word Scramble Instrument Families There are many differ- ent types of instruments V E T E B E H N O______from the tiny piccolo to the large string bass. M A H B S R ______Musicians group instru- ments that create sound S H A M N U N C ______in similar ways together. In addition to the stan- dard orchestra and band N I C P H O ______instruments below, there are many other instru- Scrambled word answer ments that are played around the world. Watch (Unscramble the letters in the circles.) for features on these instruments in future issues. ______String Family Violin Viola Missing Barlines Cello String Bass The barlines are missing from the music below. Figure out Guitar where they should go and write them in. 1. Woodwind Family Piccolo Flute Clarinet 2. Saxophone Oboe Bassoon

Brass Family 3. Start by looking at the time signatures Trumpet to figure out how Trombone many beats should Horn be in a measure. Tuba

Percussion Family Impromptu Various drums and instruments that are An impromptu is a type of composition that became popu- struck lar in the 1800s. It does not have a standard form because it was supposed to sound free – as if the performer was impro- Keyboard Family vising it or creating it on the spot (although they were actu- Piano ally played from previously written music). They were usu- Harpsichord ally written for piano or another solo instrument. Schubert, Clavichord Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Scriabin, and Fauré wrote well- Organ known improptus. 5 Beginner’s Corner

What is Beginner’s Why is Posture Important? Corner? hen students begin taking les- Musisicans also try to position them- Beginner’s Corner is a sons, teachers talk a lot about selves so they can play freely and easily. Wthe correct way to sit at the While playing the piano seems like a regular section of Piano piano. This is called posture. It may seem safe thing to do compared to sports, Explorer that is just for boring or even a waste of time. After all, musicians can get injuries too. If you students in their first you are taking piano lessons because you play the piano from a bad position, it year or two of piano want to play the piano and you already can lead to muscle strain and pain. lessons. Each month know how to sit on a bench. However, The goal is to play in a position that taking the time to figure out how to sit feels relaxed and comfortable and allows watch for practice tips properly and position your hands and your hands and arms to move easily and fun games, as well arms can make a big difference. about the instrument. Your hands and as information about It is similar to learning how to play arm muscles also will not get tired as the piano, reading baseball or golf. Athletes learn to hold a quickly if you are using proper form. bat, ball, golf club, and other equipment Your teacher will explain exactly how music, and more! in certain ways. They also set their feet you should position your hands, wrists, and body in the best positions to hit or arms, and fingers. Pay close attention throw the ball correctly. If they don’t do and be patient. It is much easier to start Get Answers this, they will not be as successful and playing the right way than to have to to Your might even get hurt. fix a bad habit later on. Questions

If you have any Practice Tip questions about playing When you practice, check how you are sitting before you start play- the piano or music in ing. At first you may get out of position as you play. Each time you stop, general, email them to take a moment and check your posture. In addition to how it looks, [email protected] think about how it feels. If you pay attention to what a good position feels like to your body, it will be easier to find it again and to keep it and we will answer while you play. some of them in upcoming issues. Making Sure It Looks Correct Please include your Because your teacher is not there to check your posture and hand position when you are practicing, name, age, and you can ask someone else in your house to help you. teacher’s name in You can also put a mirror near the piano so you can the email. see your back and hands in the reflection. Another option is to video record yourself on a cell phone camera and see what happens while you play.

6 The Basics

• Bench at correct height and distance from the piano

• Elbows at the same level as the keys

• Wrists in line with arms

• Feet flat on the floor (or on a box or other support if you can’t reach.)

• Back straight

• Shoulders relaxed and down

• Head up

The goal is for everything to be relaxed and comfortable. You want to feel balanced and able Look at these students. Which one looks more comfortable? Which to play notes around keyboard one do you think would be able to play better? What are three easily. Your teacher will help you things you would fix (in either student) if you were the teacher? find the right position – every- one’s body is different so you 1. have to experiment to find what is just right for you. (As you 2. grow you will have to make adjustments too!) 3.

Take Care of Your Piano!

Because a piano is so big and sits out taking space in a room, people sometimes treat it like a piece of furniture and not the delicate, very complex musical instrument that it is. To play beautifully, you need to take good care of it. 1. Your piano is not a table. Books, plants, and toys should not go on top of it. If something falls inside a piano (like a pencil), don’t go poking around. Unless it is easy to reach, a piano tuner may need to retrieve it for you to avoid damaging the inside of the instrument. 2. Keep the piano dry. It is a wooden instrument and can easily be damaged. Never bring drinks near it. 3. Wash and carefully dry your hands before playing. Even fairly clean hands can have a bit of oil or grime on them. Over time, this will build up on the keys. 4. Pay attention to where you put the piano. Pianos are Keep your piano neat affected by changes in heat and humidity so if possible, and not like this! don’t put it next to a window, air vent, or radiator. 5. A piano tuner should check the instrument once or twice a year. This is like a checkup at the doctor.

7 The Piano and Schubert’s Lieder

Pianists often accompany singers, and Schubert’s lieder are a great opportunity for pianists to play with another musician. What is special about Schubert’s songs is that the piano part is just as important as the sung part. The piano not only provides background for the melodies of the singer, but also sets the mood for the song.

Look at the famous songs below to see how Schubert used the piano part to paint a picture for the poem’s story.

Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel The pianist’s right hand imitates the constant sempre legato b 6 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ turning of a spinning & 8 œ œ œœœœ œ œœ œ œ œœœ œœ œœœœ œ œ œœœœ œ œœ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œœœ π wheel, and the left hand sempre staccato gives the beat of the foot ? 6 œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œ œœ. ‰ œ b 8 ˙. ˙. ˙. œ ‰ œ œ. pedal that keeps the spin- ning wheel in motion.

The Erlking In this song there is a frantic ride b 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 & b c œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ on horseback with a frightening œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ supernatural creature following. f The pounding triplets and bass 3 ? b c ∑ œ œ œ œ. b œ œ œ œ. œ notes represent a running horse . and help create fear in the music. 3

A Fresh Start for Fall!

Whether you played regularly over the summer or got busy with other activities, the fall is a great time to make plans and set goals for the upcoming year.

Make a Practice Schedule The most important thing you can do to improve your playing is to practice regularly. Look at all of the things you do each week and find the best times to practice the piano. Write out a schedule (or use a schedule app) to remind yourself. You can even set an alarm to tell you when to practice each day. Look at the practice tips on the next page to make sure you get the most out of your practice time. Take the 100 Day Practice Challenge (see page 11) and see your name printed in Piano Explorer!

Make Goals with Your Teacher Think about what you learned last year and what you hope to do this year. Then talk to your teacher. What goals does he or she have for you? Is there a particular piece you are interested in playing? It can be helpful to have goals and know what you are working towards achieving. Of course this will change over the course of the year.

10 Practice Tips Playing Piano with Small Hands

1. Practice every day! Even if you only have a few minutes, this will really pay off over time.

2. Look over your assignment after your lesson. Take a few minutes when you get home to make sure you remember what you are to work on. o you ever feel that your hands just 3. Write down a few notes (either at the are not big enough to reach all of the lesson or at home) so you won’t forget Dnotes in some pieces? While some what your teacher said. piano virtuosos like Franz Liszt and Van Cliburn are know for having very large 4. Check your hand and body position hands that let them play powerful chords before you play. Make sure everything and reach intervals of a tenth or more, other feels relaxed and comfortable. (See page 6 pianists are not so lucky. An average adult for more on posture.) After playing for a player can reach about an octave comfort- bit, stop and recheck everything. ably, and students often cannot reach even that far. Here are a few tips that will help 4. Be careful with rhythm. When you get a you until your hands reach their full size. new piece, try counting the rhythm out 1. Stay relaxed. If you keep your muscles loud or clapping it. Play the rhythm slow- and joints free of tension, it is easier to ly until you are sure you can play it cor- reach the notes. rectly. 2. After playing a big stretch, think about 5. Pay attention to the details. When you relaxing so you don’t stay tense. learn a piece, use the correct fingerings 3. Notice how your arms, hands, shoulders, and play the dynamics right from the elbows, and wrists feel. Tell your teacher if start. They are part of the music just like you feel any pain while playing. the notes, and it is much easier and faster to learn everything correctly from the 4. In legato passages with large intervals start than it is to add them in later. like octaves, you can sometimes lift your hand slightly off of the keys to reach the next note. Try to make the break as smooth Jokes and as short as possible. 3 œ œ œ œ &4œ œ œ Q: What composer do flies hate? œ

5. Break up large chords. Play the first note A: Schubert (SHOO-bert) as a grace note, followed quickly by the remaining notes. ˙ ˙ ˙ j ˙ Q: How can you tell when a piano & ˙ œ ˙ is angry? 6. Large chords can also sometimes be A: It gets all keyed up. rolled. Play all the notes from the bottom to the top in a very quick arpeggio.

w ~~~ w Check with your teacher about how to & #w #w play the big stretches in your music.

11 Famous Composers in Vienna, Austria

Mozart 1756-1791

Beethoven 1770-1827 (moved to Vienna in 1792)

Schubert admired the music of Mozart and Beethoven, who were very important composers in Vienna where Schubert lived almost Schubert 1797-1828 his entire life. (Mozart died just before Schubert was born.)

Antonio Salieri 2018-2019 Composer Schedule (1750 - 1825) September Schubert Antonio Salieri was an October D. Scarlatti important opera composer November Ravel in the Classical period. He was born in Italy but December Chopin came to Vienna when January Prokofiev he was 15 years old. He February J.C. Bach held a number of March Brahms important positions in April Telemann Vienna, including court composer and music May/June Mendelssohn director. His operas were July/August Holst very popular, but today his compositions are not particular- ly well known. Answers to July/August Puzzles He is primarily respected today as a great teacher. He taught some of the finest musi- Crossword Puzzle (page 5): cians ever including Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Liszt. Schubert came to Salieri’s attention as a young boy, and this led to his choir scholarship at the Vienna school. While at the school, Salieri realized that Schubert was a brilliant composer, and he gave young Franz lessons in music theory and com- position. Later when Schubert was unhappily teaching school for his father, Salieri contin- ued to give him composition lessons. He was probably Schubert’s most important teacher. You may have heard that Salieri hated Mozart, who lived in Vienna at the same time. The movie Amadeus about Mozart’s life and Chain Puzzle (page 5): trumpet career portrays Mozart and Salieri as enemies, but this is almost certainly not true. Quiz (page 15): 1. b 2. a 3. b 4. e 5. a 6. c 7. d 8. b 14 Happy Birthday Quiz These musicians were all born in September. 1. Franz Schubert lived in ____. 4 - Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) French composer a. Venice 4 - Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) Austrian composer b. Paris c. London 5 - John Cage (1912-1992) Modern American composer d. Vienna 5 - Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) German composer, youngest surviving son of J.S. Bach 2. List three ways you can take care of your piano: 8 - Antonin Dvorák (1841-1904) Czech composer 13 - Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) Austrian-American com- a. ______poser 13 - Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896) German pianist, wife of Robert Schumann b. ______16 - Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) French composer and teacher c. ______25 - Glenn Gould (1932-1982) Canadian pianist 3. _____ was Schubert’s teacher. 25 - Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Russian composer a. Salieri 25 - Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) French composer b. Mozart c. J.S. Bach 26 - George Gershwin (1898-1937) American composer and d. none of the above pianist 4. Lieder means _____ in German. a. songs How to Contact Us b. symphonies c. opera Subscription renewals, quantity changes, address changes: d. none of the above Phone: 888-446-6888 or 847-446-5000 Email: [email protected] 5. Schubert loved to perform in Online store: magazine.theinstrumentalist.com public. 1838 Techny Court, Northbrook, IL 60062 a. true b. false Editorial comments or questions: email: [email protected] 6. Schubert was a talented ____ 100 Days: Teachers please email # of days, student’s name, a. singer age, state, and your name to [email protected]. (Do not b. pianist mail sheets.) c. composer d. all of the above Piano Explorer website: www.peforkids.com New material for teachers and students will be posted by the 7. In Schubert’s songs, the piano start of each month. part is very important. Note: Music for Young Children (back cover) is an outside advertiser and a. true cannot assist with Piano Explorer subscription questions. b. false

Ann Rohner Callis, editor; Ryan Callis, assistant editor; Malgorzata Bagley, consulting editor. ©2018 Piano Explorer Co., all rights reserved. None of the content may be duplicated or reprinted without advance written permission. Telephone: 888-446-6888 or 847- 446-5000 or fax 847.446.6263 www.PEforkids.com, e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. Clavier’s Piano Explorer, ISSN-0279-0858, Vol. 39, No. 1, is published monthly except June and August for $6 per student per year for 5 or more copies, $12 each for less than 5 copies (Canada: groups $12 per student, regular $26; Other Foreign Delivery: groups $17 per student, regular $34) Periodicals postage paid at Northbrook, Illinois & add’l. mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Clavier’s Piano Explorer, 1838 Techny Court, Northbrook, IL 60062. 15