Show Franz Schubert J Full many a gem of purest ray serene The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear Full many a flower is born to blush unseen And waste its sweetness on the desert air THESE lines might well be applied to the early talent of Franz Schubert Mozart and Mendelssohn have been exalted exalted ex- ex ex exalted alted as infant prod prodigies while the childhood of Franz Schubert is entirely forgotten though he was without doubt as precocious a child as either of these but the obscurity in which he lived prevented prevented prevented pre pre- vented his talents from being recognized by the public He was born J thirty-first thirty 1797 at Vienna of very humble parents His early life was commonplace in the extreme extreme extreme ex ex- the most interesting feature being the extraordinary development of his talent He received his first instruction on the violin and piano from his brother He manifested so strong an inclination for the art of music that at an early age his father obtained his admission to the imperial chapel which entitled him to an education in the school where on his entrance he excited great amazement by his singing and the conductors at once gave him the most honorable post in the chapel He became the leader of the school orchestra and soon familiarized himself with the compositions of the masters masters- the performance of great symphonies being here a daily occurrence At the age of fourteen he had made himself master of counterpoint and harmony and began composing chamber music and works for the piano but his poverty was such that he was oftentimes unable to obtain the music paper with which to fasten the immortal thoughts that thronged through his brain A proof of his true instinct is the unbounded enthusiasm he felt for forthe forthe forthe the compositions of Mozart and Beeth Beeth- oven When seventeen years old his voice began to fail foil and he returned to his home to assist his father in his school which post he held for three years during which time he continued his work of composing to an almost in incredible incredible incredible in- in credible amount songs operas several symphonies church and chamber music for in the affluence of his creative pov poa power er he needed merely the slightest excuse for his genius to flow forth foth but while he wrote nothing that was not beautiful his masterpieces are based on themes furnished by the lyrics of such poets as Goethe Schiller and Heine The production of one one of the most popular of his songs the II Erl Erl King II which proved the source of most of the fame and money he enjoyed during his life was conceived after reading Goethe's Goethe's Goethe's Goe Goe- thes the's great poem for the first time He instantly arranged the melody rapidly noting the music on paper rushed to the school his only Alma Mater and sang it to the scholars overwhelming them with rapture and astonishment It is hardly needful to speak of the power and beauty of this composition the weird sweetness of its melodies the dramatic contrasts the wealth of color and shading in its varying varying varying vary vary- ing phrases the of the accompaniment accompaniment accompaniment which elaborates the spirit of the song When this immortal music musi was first sung to Goethe the great poet said II Had music instead of words been my instrument of thought it is so soI soI soI I would have framed the legend II The Serenade is another example of the swiftness of Schubert's artistic imagination imagination imagination it is a true poem which embodies the most delicate dream of passion and tenderness These compositions were eccentric and at odds with the old canons canons canons can ons of song such grace and warmth being characteristic hitherto of only the themore more pretentious forms of music they music they inaugurate the genesis of the new school of musical lyrics the golden wedding of the union of poetry with music 0 For a long time the young co composer was unsuccessful in his attempts to to break through the barren and irritating drudgery of a schoolmasters schoolmaster's life until untila a wealthy young admirer of Schubert's songs persuaded his mother to offer him hima a fixed home in her house and through this friend the songs of the obscure Schubert gradually found their way to favor among the exclusive circles of Vienna Lyric inspiration tion generally finds its most fruitful root i in the fascinations of love but this was not the case with Schubert Schubert Schubert bert who was by no means peculiarly sensitive sensitive sen- sen si tive to this feeling for though warmly t susceptible to the charms of friendship 1 he for the most part enacted the role of 3 woman hater until he went for the summer months to the country seat in Hungary of the Count Here amid beautiful scenery and the sweetness of a social life perfect of its kind our poets poet's life fl flew w on rapid wings his one bright green spot of unalloyed happiness Here too his his musical life gathered fresh inspiration since he became acquainted with the treasures of the national national national na na- Hun Hungarian arian music with its weird wild rhythms and striking melodies He borrowed the motives of many of his most characteristic songs songs from these reminiscences Here the young and beautiful wife of the count became becane the object of a romantic passion and all intercourse with the family had to be broken off Hints in his letters and the deep despondency which increased after this indicate however that the humbly born genius never forgot his beautiful dream He continued to pour out in careless profusion songs symphonies sympho sympho- nies and operas He created because it was the essential law of his being and never paused to contemplate or admire the beauties of hi his hib own work He lived fighting a stern battle with want and despondency He said raid his musical productions pro pro- were were created by his mind and j fi grief and the world seemed to prefer those which sprang from his grief alone Compared with him other composers seem to have written in prose He carried carried carried car car- ried German song to its highest development develop develop- ment for in musical lyrics our composer stands matchless He died in the flower of his youth just when his genius was bringing him fame and as it is pathetically pathetically pathetically cally inscribed on his tombstone he was rich in what he gave richer gave richer in what he promised |