Schubert (F.P. Schubert 1797─1828)
The Austrian composer Schubert was born on January 31, 1797 in the family of a poor primary school principal in Vienna. He studied piano and violin since he was a child. At the age of eleven, he was admitted to the choir of the Imperial Chapel and moved to the seminary. He became the violinist of the school band and also served as a conductor. This gave him the opportunity to come into contact with some famous composers of the Vienna classical music school. His masterpiece, he composed "Symphony No. 1" for the orchestra in 1813. Schubert left the seminary in 1813 because his voice changed. In order to reduce the family burden, Schubert worked as an assistant teacher in his father's school while continuing to create.
On October 19, 1814, Schubert composed music for Goethe's poem "Grechen at the Spinning Wheel". Schubert's first song masterpiece opened the floodgates of his creative inspiration. In 1815 alone, Schubert wrote 144 songs, including 8 songs on one day in October. In addition to songs, he also composed a symphony, two masses and other works. In 1816, he resigned as a teacher and concentrated on composing music. Due to the lack of a fixed income and a relatively poor life, some of his works often reflected depression and depression. Despite this, he still enthusiastically created a large number of excellent works praising the national liberation struggle. The long-term life of poverty caused great physical and mental damage to Schubert. On November 19, 1828, Schubert, who was only 31 years old, died suddenly in Vienna. He was buried with respect next to Beethoven's tomb.
Although Schubert's creative career was short, he left a large amount of musical wealth to future generations. More than 600 euphemistic and beautiful art songs added dazzling glory to the world's music treasure house. In music Known as the "King of Songs" in history. Its most representative songs include "The Devil", "Wild Rose", "Ave Maria", "Linden Tree", "Trout", "Serenade", the vocal suite "The Beautiful Mill Girl" and "Winter Journey" etc.; there are also 18 operas, singing dramas and drama music, 10 symphonies, 19 string quartets, 22 piano sonatas, 4 violin sonatas and many other works.
[Work Appreciation]
1. "Devil" D328 (op.1)
"Devil" is a dramatic and artistic narrative song . The singer must be good at using different timbre changes and emotional processing to express four different characters. This song was written in 1815 and is one of Schubert's most famous songs.
The whole song is based on the narrative poem of the same name by the German poet Goethe. It uses different melodies and tones, paired with different singing voices, and the piano triplet to imitate the continuous sound of galloping horse hooves and the whistling wind. It describes four characters with different personalities and specific environments in the narrative poem: son, father, devil and narrator. It tells the story of a dark and windy night when a father held his sick son in his arms and galloped his horse through the smog-shrouded forest. The nervous and frightened cry of the comatose child came from the darkness, and the vicious and cunning devil phantom was tempting and coercing the child to follow him. The story of his departure. Although the song develops freely, it maintains structural unity and formal perfection.
The first paragraph: The narrator sings in a colloquial recitation tone.
The second paragraph is a conversation between father and son. In the low range of the voice, the music depicts the father's concern and comfort with a calm and balanced tone, and the father asks lovingly.
The music melody of the third section of the devil is lyrical and singing, which seems sweet, false and cunning.
Then, the father and son talked again. The devil was approaching step by step. The son was afraid and called his father again and again, getting more and more frightened each time. Until the fifth paragraph, the devil used both soft and hard tactics to intimidate and intimidate.
In the last paragraph, the narrator describes the sad ending in an anxious and sad tone: the father rushed home, and his son had already died in his arms. The piano uses two fortissimo chords to express the exhausted father's grief-stricken mood.
2. "Ave Maria"
Schubert's "Ave Maria" was written in 1825 based on the narrative poem "On the Lake" by the British poet Walter Scott. "Song of Ellen" from "Beauty". The song expresses the innocent feelings of Ellen, the protagonist of the narrative poem, who begs the Virgin to forgive her father's crimes. The song adopts the form of a stanza song. The melody is soft and euphemistic, pure and simple, and the musical expression is delicate and full, expressing the author's yearning for truth, goodness and beauty. Due to the artistic charm of this song, later generations adapted it into an instrumental music performance, and the score version with violin solo and string music playing the main melody and harp accompaniment is widely circulated.
The intro at the beginning of the song uses a six-note decomposed chord to create an emotional ups and downs.
The melody of the song is beautiful, stretching and moving, and the emotion is euphemistic, sincere and touching. The temporary changes, decorative sounds and triplets in the song are used very cleverly and just right, making the song novel and impressive. Unique charm.
When the song reached the eighth verse, there was an emotional climax, and then it gradually calmed down and softly called the name of the Virgin.
Finally, the whole song ends in a peaceful atmosphere.
3. "Serenade"
Schubert completed this serenade a few months before his death in 1828. It was originally the fourth song in the author's vocal suite "Swan Song", and was titled by the Viennese music publisher Haslinger. It refers to the saying that swans only open their throats to sing when they are dying, implying that this suite is the author's last work. "Serenade" was written by the author based on the poem by the poet Lehrstab, and is a well-known song. This "Serenade" has been adapted into an instrumental piece and is widely loved due to its beautiful and melodious melody.
The song structure is a two-part form, with major and minor keys developing alternately. The first section, in D minor, has a light and melodious melody, with a soft and clear mood. It imitates the accompaniment of a guitar and shows a young man pouring out his love to his beloved girl.
The first lyric is a description of the quiet surrounding environment. This is followed by an 8-bar lyrical and peaceful interlude.
The middle part of the second section switches to D major, using changes in tone. The change in tonality makes the emotions exciting and forms the climax of the whole song.
New elements are added to the melody and rhythm at the end. As the closing sentence, which is mainly in D major and has a comprehensive tendency of major and minor keys, gradually fades from strong to weak, the song expressing love gradually fades away in the beautiful and tranquil night.
4. Lullaby
From the day it was written, it is still sung by mothers and singers around the world to this day. For example, when Schubert composed this moving song, there was this story:
Schubert's life was very poor at that time. One night, he didn't eat and wandered the streets hungry, hoping to meet an acquaintance and borrow some money to satisfy his hunger. But I haven’t met anyone I know for a long time. At this time, he walked to the door of a luxurious hotel. He walked in and sat down at a table. He suddenly found an old newspaper on the dining table. Schubert picked it up and read it. He saw a small poem on it: "Sleep, sleep, my dear baby, mother is shaking you gently with both hands,..." This simple and touching poem touched the composer's heart, and there appeared before his eyes The image of a loving mother. Yes, in that quiet night, the mother gently patted her child and sang a lullaby. The silver moonlight shone on the mother and child through the window. What a beautiful life it was... Schubert could no longer suppress it. He couldn't help himself, so he took out a piece of paper and a pencil from his pocket, and hummed while composing rapidly.
After Schubert finished writing the song, he gave it to the owner of the hotel. Although the boss didn’t understand music, he thought the piece was so nice and beautiful, so he gave Schubert a pot of beef and potatoes. .
When Schubert was in poverty, he wrote this sweet song for mothers and children with a beautiful heart. This "Lullaby" was quickly sung all over the world, and its author Schubert died in poverty...
Lullaby is not only an important form of music, but also an indispensable artistic means in human life. When everyone is born, they grow up listening to their mother humming lullabies in their mother's arms. Through lullabies, mothers bury the philosophy of life, hopes for the future and maternal love deeply into the young hearts of their children. These philosophies and hopes are like seeds. As children grow, they blossom and bear fruit in their hearts, influencing their thoughts in a subtle way.