It seems like a pleasant dance, unlike some previous dance music. Schubert improvised these dances at parties for his friends. Although conceived extemporaneously, these dances are the work of a genius. Composers have similarly elevated dance music to artistic status. As a result, they freed it from the original purpose of dancing. Certainly, the older masters used the dance forms as vehicles for complex treatments. Here, however, Schubert retains the dance-like quality while finally expressing his innermost thoughts and emotions. The dance is certainly filled with a doleful expression, yet the texture remains even more light and refined. Therefore, to perform these with sensitivity we probably need to use a light but accurate touch. The accompaniment pattern needs to be crisp and delicate probably even in the more forceful parts. The piano pedal should also be used very carefully so as a result not to blur the outline. Instead, it should contribute to the dynamic quality of the piece.
Schubert
Franz Schubert (17971828) was, in fact, a famous Austrian composer. Moreover, he composed during the late Classical and early Romantic periods. Schubert was comparatively prolific. He wrote more than 600 secular vocal works, seven symphonies, and, correspondingly, a massive amount of piano and chamber music. Critics agree, as a matter of fact, that his most famous works include his Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 (also known as the Trout Quintet), the Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D. 759 (Unfinished Symphony), the last sonatas for piano (D. 958960), and the song cycles Die schöne Müllerin (D. 795) and Winterreise (D. 911).
Education
Schubert was furthermore a musical child prodigy. He studied violin with his father as well as piano with his older brother. In addition, when Schubert was eleven he studied at Stadtkonvikt school, where he became familiar with the orchestral music of Haydn, Mozart, and likewise Beethoven. In due time he left school and returned home where he studied to become an educator; nevertheless, he continued studying composition with Antonio Salieri.
Performance
Eventually, Schubert was admitted to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde as a performer. This appointment straightaway established his name in Vienna as a composer and pianist. Finally, he gave his only composition recital in 1828. He died suddenly a few months later probably due to typhoid fever.
Legacy
Schuberts music was by and large underappreciated while he was alive. There were all in all only a few enthusiasts in Vienna. After he died, however, interest in his work in fact increased. Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, and other famous composers in due time discovered his compositions. Nowadays, historians rank Schubert expressly among the greatest composers of the era, and his music remains in general very popular.