Why Listen to Schubert? 

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"we don't put schubert in the same ranks as bach, mozart and beethoven" *...... wait. we don't??*

"Wer die Musik liebt, kann nie ganz unglücklich werden." "He who loves music can never truly be unhappy" -F. Schubert

It is almost like he knew that he would die early, the amount of music he created is astonishing, he really wasted no time, because he knew that it is limited.

I MADE A MISTAKE!!! When Beethoven was 29, he was still writing his FIRST symphony! I wrote the wrong number when typing the script out and that wound up making the final cut - sorry! But that makes this fact even cooler. Also apologies for my bad German. It's great to be back.

Why listen to Schubert? Why eat food? Why breathe air? There’s no such pure and genuine music quite as Schubert. Schubert’s music is a prime example how you can achieve so much while having and using so little.

Ave Maria is one of the most beautiful melodies that I have ever heard.

Schubert is one of my favorites! As a pianist, my favorite thing about his songs (that you made clear, but I don't think outright stated) is that he makes the accompaniment integral to the piece; not just as a complement to the singer, but part of the larger whole, where one cannot exist without the other. My overall favorite thing about Schubert is that he appeals so much to someone like me who would happily drown in melancholy. He sometimes pushes into outright depressive areas, but so much of his music has such a perfect tinge of sadness that really keeps me emotionally engaged.

Thanks for the video. Just a friendly correction: "Lieder" is German for "songs" (plural). "Lied" is German for "song" (singular)

Me at 17: Schubert at 17: composes two songs a day including masterpieces

Schubert is the master of modulation. "Shifty Schubert" - he can slip the piece into a new key so subtly that you don't even realize he did it until he's already moved past it. Mozart shifts key with variations to the tune, Beethoven hammers the leading tone at you, but Schubert does it in the voice leading, where it's not as obvious. His use of harmony is is so colorful, it's hard to describe. The four hand piano fantasy, the Bb sonata, the Wanderer fantasy, the C maj quintet, the last movement of the 9th symphony. Die Schöne Müllerin is an opera for singer and pianist, where the piano is an equal partner with the singer; a talented stage designer or filmmaker could do something with that. He's a vastly underrated composer.

Me at the record store looking for Schubert: "Take me to your lieder."

Imagine if he had lived for another 10-20 years.

My dads best friend came from a long line of German aristocrats and he actually inherited Schuberts piano. I got the honour to play some pieces on the piano before he donated to the German state. It was truly a magical experience. He also inherited Adolph Menzels original sketches and rough drawings and his own personal sketchbook and i often look through the notes and the scribbles and almost masterpieces of themselves while i visit him.

why is Vivaldi never mentioned as one of the greats and giants ?!! his music was so influential and ahead of its time , even Bach recognised his works and interpreted some of them on the Organ. Vivaldi is overlooked very often and I still can't understand why .

Franz Schubert has quickly become my favorite composer of all time as I have been rediscovering classical music these two years. His music is intimate, little in scale, but powerful in emotions.

And let's not leave out the most beautiful song ever written: Schubert: Ständchen, D 889

There is no doubt: Schubert was and is one of the greatest composers to have ever lived. His music enriches and comforts and consoles and will do so for all time.

The Standchen/Serenade is so beautiful. He's such a lyrical composer.

Schubert is my favourite composer. His music is so beautiful.

Of all the great composers, Schubert’s music is always closest to my heart.

Schubert has alway been one of the greatest for me. He really was a genius. Thanks for the video about his work.

Imagine growing up in a culture where these songs are part of the folklore.

When Beethoven was 29 he hadn’t completed his first symphony yet.

The Coda in Gretchen Am Spinnrade is so deeply Viennese and philosophically draws from the sonata allegro form where a return to the opening theme feels drastically different if the composer has done their artistic job of writing a rich development, which Schubert does here. "My peace is gone, my heart heavy" can be dually considered to be a return to Gretchen's previous state of despair, but the words themselves could ALSO mean that her peace has been replaced by desire and lust, her heart is heavy with yearning and infatuation. The "coda" is a stroke of genius - not even Gretchen knows how far her heart has travelled until she sings those familiar words again with a fresh perspective. The mark of a great homage to sonata allegro is if you can come back to the opening theme with more than one meaning and impression in tow.

Around one month before his death, Beethoven was presented with handwritten copies of various Schubert songs. After looking into the works of the younger composer, Beethoven is said to have exclaimed: “Truly, in this Schubert there dwells a divine spark!.”

If you listen to Fischer-Dieskau sing Schubert and remain unconvinced Schubert is one of the best lyricists, nothing will convince you. Schubert is not regarded as the equal to the Bach, Beethoven etc but there is undoubtedly beauty and genius in what he did. And he suffered through life which showed in his songs. The cost of the paper he wrote his music on was more than the money he earned from it. He was not bitter about this and musicians have to remember this when they interpret. And to this day, we continue to listen to it...

The Eb major piano trio is one of my favorite pieces of music ever

I love this. Since we’re all in quarantine, I’m compelled to play Schubert myself. My boyfriend recently passed away and he was also a musician. This would’ve been the perfect time to learn and play Schubert together.

Beautiful. Thank you. “Schubert is the poet of home and the lost of home.” - Roger Scruton

Shubert is genuinelly my most loved classical musician, the feeling his pieces bring is unmatched. But i have to say, Mozart at 17 whrote his 25th Symphony, one of the best pieces i've ever heard. I mean, both pieces and both compositors are incredibly great, but Shubert is better in my eyes by the emotions he can transmit. It's just that he died too young, i wish he had more time for us to really see what he was able to do

WOW! I cannot believe The Algorithm suggested this to me. This was amazing, seriously amazing. I saw Winterreise many years ago and it knocked me senseless. Literally. I spent 15 years studying it, and I finally sang the entire piece, even though I don't speak German and I am a completely self taught musician. The power of the music was THAT strong, and I am forever grateful that it hit me and changed me. I can share my clumsy attempt at the masterpiece if you are interested, but that is not important. Schubert is important.

Yes, Schubert is a true master. Some of his songs (e.g. "Der Wanderer") are like little operas, stuffed with drama, emotion, and a genius composition of musical inventions. Thank for explaining that so brilliantly. A masterpiece of a video!

Thanks for this great contribution.

4:22 Those strings are doing an AMAZING impression of a piano.

People say “do we really need a Mozart symphony 42”? “Do we really need another Beethoven”? Schubert is the evidence that yes, we already have.

Schubert is undoubtedly one of my favorite composers. The way that he is able to convey emotion through his music is absolutely breathtaking. “Du Bist Die Ruh” was one of the first compositions I learned when I began studying opera, and it will always have a special place in my heart.

for me Schubert is very near and dear to my heart - I have been listening to (and composing) classical music since I was a child - of all the symphonies i have heard and loved, it is now the Schubert Symphony # 6 that has emerged as my most favorite in the last few years - i don't think there is another piece of music that I enjoy so thoroughly - i truly love to listen to it over and over again - it just goes to show that each one of us may discover some music not as well known and find that it speaks to us better than works that are much more established in the regular concert hall repertoire

Schubert is one of my absolute favourite composers of all time if not the favourite. Schuberts music touches my heart like noone else does. He is an absolute genious. I played so much Schubert on piano the last 2 years and I always try to show my friends how great Schuberts music is. Thank you for this video!

I completely desagree Schubert is in back sits. For people who really know classical music, he is indeed one of the greatest in history.

7:18 the translation is: "Gretechen AT the spinning wheel" :-)

Thank you for this!!! I never understood why some consider Schubert as inferior to the 'Great Masters', I have always thought of him as one of them, if not one of the greatest of them, his quintet is one the greatest pieces of music ever written, and is Arthur Rubinstein's favourite piece of music (according to him in an interview). As for Vladimir Horowitz, he said in an interview that Schubert was the greatest genius of all of them, his music was futuristic, he then said that the beauty of Schubert's music was unmatched, and he said this "Beethoven could never write one note of Schubert's music". So please, let's not feed this wierd consensus that Schubert is inferior, it's actually quite the opposite, in many ways he is superior.

You lost me at " we don't normally put Schubery in the ranks of...". I do! Schurbert's massive.

Wow, I think I am going to have to explore some more of Schubert’s masterpieces! As a classically trained singer, I have learned many of his Lieder and have grown to love them so much. I also love his 5th Symphony since it is probably the most played on my classical music radio station, and that symphony can put me in a happy mood no matter what is going on in life. But I think this video has just gone to show me that there is so much other greatness from Schubert that I have not yet listened to, and that I need to seek it out and find it. Plus, your explanation as to why “Gretchen Am Spinnrade” is so excellent is just so self-explanatory and simple that almost anyone can be persuaded as to just how great a work it is! I just want to let you know that I absolutely love your channel. As a young classical music enthusiast, your videos help deepen my love of classical music with every video I watch of yours, and this one was definitely no exception. Keep up the excellent work, and thank you for inspiring me to continue to fall deeper in love with classical music!

I never see someone overlooking him, only not knowing him.

I've always loved Schubert

I grew up listening to music by F.Schubert. Even before I was born, those stories reached me. When my father practised the lieds of Winterreise and Die Schöne Mullerin, I played under the grand piano and listened the music. It was the soundtrack of my childhood, my life. The emotions every single Schubert piece makes me feel is greater than life. The warmth and the attitude is the basis of my musicality. My father was able to perform Winterreise one more time in a concert before he finally died a few years ago. Hopefully I am able to continue where he left. Thank you for this amazing video

Love your breakdown of Gretchen and Spinnrade! I had the pleasure of working with a Russian opera conductor as he did a similar analysis of Chopin's Prelude in D Minor, breaking down the notation and musical structure with the story it was telling. Please do more of this on your channel-would love to see more!

I could not imagine a life without Schubert.

RIP Sir Roger Scruton

As a person who was hardly exposed to classical music when growing up, I was captivated by these songs by Schubert - they literally blew my mind.

Growing up in Siberia region of Soviet Union, I didn't have easy access to classical recordings. Yet, my mom had a few LP's - Beethoven's Appassionata with Richter, and piano sonatas 14 and 27 with Walter Gieseking, Chopin's concerto 1 with Galina Czerny-Stefanska. When I got my first pocket money as Uni stipend (55 rubles monthly!), I spend some of that to buy records. One day I bought an LP with Schubert sonatas 13 A minor, 14 A major, recorded by Sviatoslav Richter. I fell in love with this music instantly. Later I got an LP with sonata 7, recorded by Nassedkin. When CDs become available, I bought Richter recordings of more Shubert sonatas. They are amazing. Shubert is one of the greatest, there's no doubt.

He’s amazing. Would love to see a video on his Piano Trio no. 2 D. 929, specifically the second movement. The breadth of emotion in that piece is huge and I’d definitely like to learn more about where it came from for the composer.

I was so scared that this yt channel might've been inactive since this was posted a year ago and classical music isn't exactly a "hot" topic that gives you new material on a regular basis, but I saw last video being made 4 weeks ago and I can't describe how happy I am 💗 Please, don't stop making videos like these. it's very, very much needed 🖤

I think the reason he has not become that popular is: People often want to listen to great music with good structure and genious ideas but at the same time they don´t want to be thrown off course emotionally. Schubert´s music (at least) equals in the brilliance and creativity the great ones, but it is so intriguing you are remembered of things of your own past, you get involved in epoch, you start identifying with different characters, you think about god, death, relationships, nature and the situation of the composer himself. And here we get to the problem: His life story is always told in such a depressing way, that he was a poor human being always struggling in life. No woman, no sleep, death in his mind, die young, blabla... If you are biased in that way, well off course you connect that to all the music and might feel depression. Many people are biased on Schuberts life situation and therefore cannot experience his whole oeuvre because its emotionally too much.

There is something about Schubert's astonishingly beautiful and melancholy music that touches my tear ducts - I can't help but cry. Crazy but wonderful. Thank-you for this summation.

I’m glad you made a note of the intimacy of Schubert. Schubert was not a man of large-scale concerts. He would enjoy going to see an Italian opera with his friends, but that is the extent to which people would see him in the large-scale public music scene. It was the home, the middle-class gatherings, where Schubert felt completely free. He was a very talented pianist, despite what musicologists may tell you. The best example to convince a listener of this would NOT be the lieder; most of them are quite easy to perform for a novice pianist like myself. One must look at the dances and the impromptus to hear that virtuosic Schubert. It is not a Lisztian virtuosity, but more of an intimate, feathery virtuosity that puts the listener into hypnosis. There is SUCH STRONG EMOTION in Schubert.

"Works of art are not ever finished... only abandoned." Da Vinci was most recently (to my knowledge) accused of this quote... ;o)

The way Schubert's melody touches our souls.

It might be worth mentioning that Schubert wrote two lovely songs for single voice, piano and a wind instrument ("Auf dem Strom" - horn - and "Der Hirt auf dem Felsen" - clarinet). In addition, he wrote several works for multiple voices with or without any accompaniment, and some of these are extremely beautiful although rarely encountered.

My first real encounter with Schubert was Die Schoene Mullerin which I studied for O-Level (err hum 45 years ago). It's a beautiful but tragic work. Anyone who has experienced unrequited love (probably most of us) will know the pain. Schubert captured it wonderfully. The last couple of songs are tear-jerking. He also wrote wonderful piano music. I really ought to listen to more of his music. He was prolific - 800+ songs (?) in his 31 year life.

I listened to Schubert's unfinished symphony a lot as a child. That's one heavy composition. Beethoven and Schubert were my favorites.

I am really and deeply impressed! I was never able to understand musical patterns and music in general - I not even learned to play an instrument, besides training my voice in a choir I had no musical understanding beyond maybe the average - but while going through that Corona shutdown I came to your side and was magically fascinated and immediately drawn to this video, dear Insight the Score! And you made me want to know more on Schubert... Greetings, many thanks and respect from Ger,many!

After decades of not having any taste for classical music one day as part of some feet on RU-vid I heard Schubert for the first time. I didn't know what the music was I just knew that there was an innocence to it that made me feel a lot of feelings. So, I've just begun my journey! I thought I'd like others, but alas, I found them loud, abrasive. And not warm at all. I hope when I listen to others by him, they will resonate with my soul like" Serenade"

Why listen to Schubert......is that a rhetorical question? 😉

The opening haunting few bars of the "Unfinished" 2nd movement, is what first drew me to classical music as a twelve year old youngster.

Fell in love with Death and the Maiden as a child, became so obsessed with this quartet that I ended up transcribing in order to experience it fully.

Schubert is one of the few that I put in the same ranks as Bach and Beethoven. Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel is a musical and literary apotheosis of Romanticism. It's all there. The passion. The restlessness. The storytelling, the drama. The depiction in the music of the drama, of the story, of its passions. The fascination with the passionate emotions. And this was just the beginning. Many great masterpieces were yet to come. In my opinion, Schubert's string quartets stand alongside Beethoven's as the pinnacle of the genre, and his Arpeggione Sonata stands alongside Debussy's Cello Sonata as the finest work ever written for melody instrument and piano. His string quintet stands alongside his finest symphonies and string quartets. His last two symphonies stand alongside the symphonies of Beethoven and Mahler. The deep melody deep in the baritone range that opens the Unfinished Symphony is for me one of the greatest moments of music ever. The classical music tradition is perhaps Europe's finest contribution to the universe. And Schubert stands as one of the top few in that tradition, alongside Bach and Beethoven and Debussy and Wagner. Deep thought, powerful emotion, and the finest melodies in the Western world alongside those of Debussy. A genius!

I have already listened to his trout quintet, all of his symphonies, his octet, and his death and the maiden. All listened during quarantine

Schubert was a fast life-history strategist type of genius, like Pascal.

But his ranking is still quite high up there...

Beautiful music! Thank you for introducing it to us.

I have loved watching this channel grow over the years!

Tú has llevado la comprensión de la música a un nivel superlativo, sublime. He disfrutado cada segundo de este maravilloso relato. No sé nada de música, no tengo ninguna habilidad para tocar algún instrumento, no obstante, casi de forma intuitiva he disfrutado la música, especialmente la ópera. Tus videos me han dado una motivación para profundizar en el conocimiento y entendimiento de este maravilloso arte. Muchas gracias por tus invaluables videos.

Thank you so much for this, I am in love with Schuberts music. Greetings from Germany!

Big​ thanks​ for​ this​ wonderful​ video.

Your videos are really the most interesting ones!! I love the format! Thanks 😊

Thank you so much for this. Schubert is my favorite composer and it makes me sad he is often overlooked. I'm always excited to see stuff like this that will hopefully bring more interest and appreciation for him.

Thank you so much for making this video! Schubert is my favorite composer and I love analyzing his stuff!

Absolutely agreed Schubert is one of the greatest composer. He also has 2 master pieces for the violin. Fantasies in C and the Grand Duo in A for Violin and Piano.

Wonderful. Many thanks indeed. So glad to have found your channel.

Franz Schubert, I love his music, it is so full of soul, passion, emotion and honesty, the full human spectrum. He is the Greatest as far as I’m concerned, others are also Great but I put him at no.1. His early death, along with the equally early death of Jimi Hendrix (also created sounds in music to reflect the whole human spectrum) are to me the most tragic losses in musical history. If Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Wagner, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, Rossini, Verdi (all favourites of mine) and Schubert had all been on the Titanic and there was room for only one more in the lifeboat, it would be Schubert who got the seat, sorry guys lol

I am Dutch and I learned German for many years at school, so I feel very much at home (pun intended) in Schubert’s songs, which is a great bonus, because I love Schubert’s music in general. I also love Constable’s beautifully Romantic paintings, they fit very well with Schubert. P.S. Who is the singer in Gretchen am Spinnrade? Kiri Te Kanawa? Maybe not. Anyway, a wonderful performance, from what I hear.

Your videos are pure gold!

Brilliant video. Thank you!

True! Personally I wholeheartedly hold and believe that Schubert without a doubt, is and should figure among the greatest geniuses of classical music. His musical portfolio is astoundingly prolific and beautiful! Having lived to be a mere 31 years. What a tragedy!

Great video, Schubert is one of my favorite composers too. His masses are great too, for example check out his Mass in Eb Major, the Credo is an absolute masterpiece of music.

I just discovered your channel and I absolutely love it! Please don't ever stop making videos they're so so interesting!!

I love your channel! What a great composer you’re focusing on!

Thanks, I loved this. I think Schubert is the singular, most underrated composer of the classical era. His lieder are artistic masterpieces. I love the way he modulates through keys. His melody is always gorgeous. I think the impromptus are some of the most beautiful piano music. I loved the quote from Brendal Beethoven writes like an architect and Schubert like a sleepwalker. I think the key modulation is an attribute of that. Anyway a great job pointing out what makes Schubert one of the masters!

Terrific video, I love the music of the “The Little Mushroom!”

Loving all the new videos recently.

this analysis is amazing! schubert is surely one for my favorites. thank you so much for sharing.

That thumbnail is giving me the willies 🙈

it is so heart warming to see someone give recognition to the amazing Schubert in this modern era. He truly deserves more praises for his beautiful music he left us with. Another composer that I discovered who is also amazing is JOSEPH WOLFL, who is slightly older than Schubert. Search for JOSEPH WOLFL in youtube and be amazed :-)

Very enjoyed watching this video! Thanks for creating such a good content!

This presentation is extraordinary!! Thank you so much!!

You should get millions of subs your videos are so amazing!

Schubert's works really are great... even when I was young there was something about his music that made him stand out even among the other greats.

Excellent job, man! Keep up this master work you've been doing here