Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras, born in the Himmelpfortgrund suburb of Vienna. His musical gifts were evident early on: his father and elder brother gave him his first violin and piano lessons before he quickly surpassed them, and in 1808 he entered Vienna's Stadtkonvikt school, where he absorbed the orchestral traditions of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.

Despite dying at just 31, Schubert left an extraordinarily vast body of work: more than 600 Lieder, seven complete symphonies, chamber and piano music, sacred works, and operas. He is above all celebrated as the master of the German art song, elevating the Lied to a central concert genre through masterpieces such as «Erlkönig», «Ave Maria», and the song cycles «Die schöne Müllerin» and «Winterreise», whose songs «Gute Nacht», «Der Lindenbaum», and «Der Leiermann» remain touchstones of the repertoire.

His instrumental works, including the «Trout» Piano Quintet, the «Unfinished» Symphony No. 8, the monumental «Great» Symphony No. 9, and his late piano sonatas and string quintet, reveal a lyrical, harmonically adventurous voice that bridged Classical form and Romantic expressiveness, profoundly shaping the composers who followed him.