Franz Schubert

Born in Vienna to parents who had immigrated there, Franz Schubert (1797 to 1828) died at thirty-one, after writing a remarkable body of work in a short life. He left symphonies, chamber works, operas, sacred music, and more than six hundred songs. Several pieces, including the 'Trout' Quintet, the 'Unfinished' Symphony, the last three piano sonatas, and the song cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, are now counted among the finest music ever written, yet many were ignored or dismissed as failures while he lived.

Elizabeth Norman McKay's new biography reconstructs the man behind these works and the world he moved through. She traces his family background, schooling, and musical training, along with his friendships and his run-ins with the restrictive powers of Church and State. Her account also covers his engagement with the arts, literature, and theatre, and his dealings with the professional and amateur musicians of his era.

McKay gives close attention to Schubert's manic-depressive temperament, which she argues grew more important over time. She connects it to his social awkwardness, his poor handling of professional matters, and the odd features of his music. She also follows the uneven decline in his health after he contracted syphilis, its influence on his compositions and on his hedonistic, sensual side, and the circumstances surrounding his death at thirty-one.