DAILY DOSE of BEETHOVEN (July 15, 2020)

Franz Schubert was born in Vienna on January 31, 1797. Beethoven was 27-years old and living in the same city. Haydn was 65 and still living there. Mozart had died young there, just 7 years earlier on December 5, 1791. Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven: these giants could be daunting shadows to grow up under. However, Schubert accepted the challenge and became one of the world's greatest composers.

But for Schubert, there was another shadow—poverty. His boyhood home in Vienna is now a museum. It looks OK until you realize that 14 families lived in that building! (See photo of the house below). Although they were in the same city, Beethoven and Schubert either never met, or only met briefly. Nonetheless, Schubert idolized Beethoven and learned from his music.

Waldstein/ Wanderer

The C Minor Series expands into other minor keys and their relationship to the tonic major. This included a C major/C minor relationship. Schubert's 1822 “Wanderer Fantasy” is such a unique and amazing work. It is in a dialogue with several compositions.

1. His own song from 6 years earlier, "The Wanderer." Schubert was probably the greatest song-writer who ever lived, composing over 500 "lieder." We include a performance of the song, with lyrics.

The second movement of the “Fantasy” quotes the song directly:

The other three movements all have references to the song.

2. Beethoven's great Waldstein sonata. Compare the openings of the Waldstein (in C major), and the Wanderer (also in C major). (See photo below of the scores of the two compositions).

Here is a recording of the first movement of the Waldstein:

3. The C Minor Series: The 4th movement represents one of Schubert's few ventures into fugal writing, and uses the characteristic interval of the dropping “diminished 7th” (major sixth). You will find it in the score provided with this recording of the entire thing by Paul Lewis.

Notice how all of the movements evolve into one another, in the style of a Fantasy.

The second movement begins at 5:43
The third movement begins at 12:12
The fourth movement begins at 16:59