Quotes About Schubert

Quoted by Schindler Musikalische Nachrichten. Vienna : 1831. Given in an English translation in Schubert Memoirs by his Friends, p307. Given Schindler's reputation, this famous quote must be treated with some suspicion.

Franz Grillparzer, the Austrian poet, was in Schubert's circle. He was asked to provide an inscription for Schubert's first tomb at the Währinger Friedhof, and this was the chosen text (the rejected inscriptions have been preserved, and are on display in the Death House Museum in Vienna). It provoked controversy because many people thought it undervalued what Schubert had already achieved.

Michael Holzer was the choirmaster at the church in Lichtenthal where the Schubert family worshipped. He was the first musician outside Schubert's family to teach Schubert. Holzer is quoted in an obituary written by Schubert's brother Ferdinand entitled Aus Franz Schuberts Leben and printed in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, Leipzig, in 1839.

The composer Brahms was a great fan of Schubert, promoting his works, helping with the editing of the Schubert Complete Works for his birth centenary, and collecting Schubert manuscripts. This quote is from a letter from Brahms to Schubring, in June 1863.

Davison, on the other hand, was clearly not a fan! From the Musical World, June 13th 1844. At that time many of what we now think of as Schubert's finest instrumental works had still not yet been published. Quoted in John Reed's article Schubert's reception in nineteenth-century England in The Cambridge Companion to Schubert, edited by Christopher Gibbs

Grove, editor of the famous dictionary that still bears his name, was a great Schubert fan, and this undoubtedly clouded his judgement from time to time. His biography of Schubert in the first edition of his Dictionary of Music and Musicians shows that he believed in most of the 'old wives tales' about Schubert, and even invented his own, especially with his argument for a 'lost' symphony from Gstein/Gmunden from 1825, which scholarship from the first SIUK chairman, John Reed, finally showed was actually the Symphony #9 in C major ('Great'), D944. This quote is from Groves' appendix to the English translation of Kreissle von Hellborn's biography by Coleridge.

The composer Liszt was another composer who promoted Schubert, especially with his transcriptions of Schubert songs to piano solos and his willingness to stage the first performance of Schubert's Alfonso und Estrella. This quote comes from a long postscript to a long letter from Liszt printed in the French journal Revue et Gazette Musicale de Paris, 2nd September 1838, quoted by Duncan, and others

Schönstein, an aristocrat, was an admired singer of Schubert's songs, who helped to spread the word about Schubert by singing at private musical parties. He was the dedicatee of Die schöne Müllerin. His comment articulated a view prevalent in several of Schubert's friends who did not understand Schubert's compositional processes. From notes Schönstein sent to Ferdinand Luib, who was preparing a biography. Given in an English translation in Schubert Memoirs by his Friends, p102.

Before he made his name as a playwright, George Bernard Shaw earned his living as a music critic. It would appear that he was not a fan! Published in The World, 23 March 1892.

Spaun was one of Schubert's best and most constant friends, from the time they met soon after Schubert arrived at the Stadtkonvikt to a few days before he died. Schubert was right, of course! From notes Spaun made for Luib and Kreissle. Given in an English translation in Schubert Memoirs by his Friends, p138.

Mason, an American composer, wrote a 'centennial essay' for schools to celebrate Schubert's centenary in 1928. This remark was quoted by Robert Haven Schauffler in his biography of Schubert, p32.

A remark from his book The God Delusion by the eminent evolutionary biologist.