Schubert: A Documentary Biography -

Otto Erich Deutsch

Da Capo Press

1977

1039 páginas

1d 10h 38m

ISBN-10: 0306774208

Otto Erich Deutsch was a Viennese musicologist whose work on the Schubert thematic catalog led to the present way we identify Schubert's works. For example, D 911 (Deutsch 911) refers to the song cycle "Winterreise". It is natural that Deutsch would become interested in Schubert because many the collected works were published in his early life and lost works by Schubert, especially songs, were still being discovered. Schubert had died just short of his thirty-second birthday in 1828. But he was poor and his works were largely unpublished and the manuscripts were scattered among his friends, patrons, and who knows where.

This book collects all of the documents that mention Schubert, written about him or to him or by him. Since the composer had such a short life, it is arranged by year. There is some short introductory material about Schubert's family, and Vienna at the time of his birth. The book also has quite a few illustrations, maps, and photographs of things such as Schubert's glasses and various buildings that played a role in the composer's short life.

Anyone who wants to study the life of Schubert seriously will have to consult this book. I bought it when I was studying his work in graduate school and have always been glad that I have it. It is not a casual read, but when you need to consult some aspect of the composer's life and want to read the documentary source for what you read somewhere else, you will find it here.