This Companion to Schubert examines the career, music, and reception of one of the most popular yet misunderstood and elusive composers. Sixteen chapters by leading Schubert scholars make up three parts. The first seeks to situate the social, cultural, and musical climate in which Schubert lived and worked, the second surveys the scope of his musical achievement, and the third charts the course of his reception from the perceptions of his contemporaries to the assessments of posterity. Myths and legends about Schubert the man are explored critically and the full range of his musical accomplishment is examined.
• 1997 is the bicentenary of Schubert's birth • This book provides a comprehensive reference book on Schubert and his music. There are few modern biographies or studies available • The contributors constitute a star cast, including Charles Rosen, well known for his books on the 'Classical Style' and 'Sonata form'
Notes on the contributors; Chronology; Note to the reader; Acknowledgments; Introduction: the elusive Schubert Christopher H. Gibbs; Part I. Contexts: Musical, Political, and Cultural: 1. Realism transformed: Franz Schubert and Vienna Leon Botstein; 2. 'Poor Schubert': images and legends of the composer Christopher H. Gibbs; 3. 'The passion for friendship': music, cultivation, and identity in Schubert's circle David Gramit; 4. Schubert's inflections of Classical forms Charles Rosen; 5. Schubert and his poets: issues and conundrums Susan Youens; Part II. Schubert's Music: Style and Genre: 6. Schubert's songs: the transformation of a genre Kristina Muxfeldt; 7. Schubert's social music: the 'forgotten genres' Margaret Notley; 8. Schubert's piano music: probing the human condition William Kinderman; 9. Schubert's chamber music: before and after Beethoven Martin Chusid; 10. Schubert's orchestral music: 'strivings after the highest in art' L. Michael Griffel; 11. Schubert's religious and choral music: toward a statement of faith Glenn Stanley; 12. Schubert's operas: 'the judgement of history?' Thomas A. Denny; Part III. Reception: 13. German reception: Schubert's 'journey to immortality' Christopher H. Gibbs; 14. Schubert's reception history in nineteenth-century England John Reed; 15. Schubert's reception in France: a chronology (1828–1928) Xavier Hascher; 16. Franz Schubert's music in performance: a brief history of people, events, and issues David Montgomery; Notes; Index.
'… it was a pleasure to encounter The Cambridge Companion to Schubert which featured analytical essays on each facet of the composer and his music … It is books like this one that allow readers of today to know Schubert better than those of his own era.' Scenaria
'Like its siblings in this admirable and authoritative series, this book ranges far and wide … this is a book from which no serious Schubertian can fail to derive some benefit.' Piano