Franz Schubert

Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer of the early Romantic era, active almost entirely in Vienna. The son of a schoolmaster, he trained as a chorister in the imperial court chapel and briefly taught in his father's school. In a short career he produced a large body of work: more than 600 songs (Lieder), symphonies, chamber and piano music, Masses, and operas. Song cycles such as Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise, the "Unfinished" Symphony, and the String Quintet became central to the repertoire. Much of his music circulated among friends in gatherings later called Schubertiades. He died in Vienna at 31; wide recognition came largely after his death.