Masters of Music: Schubert

Percy M. Young

"Despairing of one world he built another". Perhaps the most typical Romantic among the great composers, Schubert would doubtless today be described by many as a "drop-out". He was quite unable to accept the conditions of life as it was lived, but he had a supreme gift for registering his criticism of society and his hopes for a better world. The unparalleled beauty of his music stands in sharp contrast to the darkness and squalor surrounding his life. The story of Schubert is set in Vienna-a city with which Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven all had strong associations. To us it may seem a glittering and sensitive society, and Schubert and his circle of friends might appear to have existed in a world of enviable creative vitality. But Dr Young shows the hard facts-how Schubert struggled for recognition in an environment riddled with hardship, poverty, and disease, reminding us "how great art comes painfully into being.” Schubert is illustrated with evocative line drawings, and music examples help the reader to grasp the essentials of the composer's style.