‘Who keeps his mind of childhood, keeps his mind.’- Antonio Porchia
The 19th century in Western music saw a decisive shift away from the light, frivolous style of the previous era; music stopped being pretty entertainment and became more intensely expressive and personal, in what would come to be known as the Romantic style. But while other Romantic composers went crazy with the techniques used to convey this new intensity, making their music ever-more-virtuosic and jagged-sounding, Franz Schubert bridged the old and new, to astounding effect. His music consistently* echoes the Classical style in its simplicity and grace, but suddenly a new, more mysterious dimension has been added- a dimension which owes much to magical shifts in harmony and haunting melodies. Schubert’s world is, thanks to this hybrid style, a kind of no-man’s land between innocence and enigma, childhood and wintry wisdom. To listen to him is to realise how the simplest of gestures can bear a wealth of meaning, and that, so often, less is more.
To celebrate Schubert's 225th birthday, here are 5 of my favourite pieces from him (it was going to be the top 5, but that decision proved too difficult):
Favourite sonata: Sonata in B-flat, D960
Rarely a contest among seasoned Schubert listeners, and I'm no different. The D960 is a jewel of a meditation, moving magically but peacefully between moods. I think Mitsuko Uchida's recording [linked above] more or less speaks for itself, though do watch out for one of the most heart-stoppingly beautiful passages in piano music, beginning at 13:35.
Favourite symphony: Symphony 9
A work which somehow manages to sound both majestic and despairing. The doleful march of the 2nd movement is well-known, but the rest is equally beautiful
Favourite piano trio [movement]: Piano Trio in E-flat, 2nd movement
A famous movement, and for good reason, showing off Schubert's haunting lyricism in all its glory.
Favourite song: Erlkoenig
Schubert was famed for the expressive power of his lieder (songs), and this gripping musical narrative, in which an elf-king and father battle for a child, is no exception.
Miscellaneous: Tough call, but the last shoutout goes to the first of his D946 Klavierstuecke- a weird but spirited piece.
[*This profound economy is also found in the works of Schubert's hero, Beethoven, but is not a defining feature of his music, as it is for Schubert]
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