Franz Peter Schubert was born in Vienna, Austria in January 31, 1797. His parents were Franz Theodor Florian and Elizabeth Vietz Schubert. His father taught at his schoolhouse on the Himmelpfortgrund. He taught Franz little of what he knew of music. At age seven, his first instructor was Michael Holzer; he did little to improve his knowledge on music, but gave him the opportunity to practice on many beautiful fortes in a warehouse.

            October 1808, he attended Stadtkonvikt as a pupil {the Imperial religious boarding house} through a scholarship. He played in an amateur orchestra, with him and his two brothers and father. Franz played the viola. A man named Antonio Salieri recognized his talent and gave him lessons to improve his knowledge of composition. During his time at the boarding house, Franz wrote his first of nearly his thousand written compositions; his first symphony (D. 82), a cantata (D. 110), and an octet for wind instruments (D. 72/72a). This was said to commemorate the death of his mother in 1812.

            1813, left school and became a teacher at his father’s school. A couple years later in 1816, a man named Franz von Schober offered Franz to leave and lodge with him. He did so and gave lessons of music there.  But he later stopped giving lessons and devoted himself to just writing compositions.

            Schubert hardly performed in public. He was known, though, for throwing the best of parties, there did he perform. Though he wrote nearly a thousand compositions, his work was appreciated years after his death. And it is very impressive composing as much as he did dieing at the age of only 31. And I must add he was only 5’ 1 ½’’.

            Franz had fallen in love with a young girl, Therese Grob; she had an excellent soprano voice and sang Franz’s first completed mass {Mass in F (D.105)}. They were to marry in 1816, but were refused by a law concerning the male needing enough to provide for a family. Unfortunately, Franz was and always had been broke and couldn’t exactly afford to marry. They were forced to part and Franz was absolutely heartbroken.

            Schubert, with the help of his friends, got his work out in public. One of them, Johann Michael Vogl, a famous baritone, sang some of his songs in salons in Vienna. Franz did however perform at parties. The Sonnleithner family was kind enough to let Franz have free access to their home. They even threw many parties on his behalf. There, he was the life of the party and performed his works while people danced and listened and had a good ‘ole time.

            The remainder of Franz’s life is little known but through his works, and there is plenty of them. The reason being his wrote so many songs, I believe, is that that was the only thing he really did in his life. He had no real on-going job; his friends willingly helped him out whenever money was an issue.

            In 1820, Franz began on his unfinished oratorio, “Lazarus”. Also, the Quartettsatz in C minor (D. 703), “Wanderer fantasy” for piano (D. 760), and two operas: Die Zwillingsbrüder (D.647) on June 14, and Die Zauberharfe (D.644) on August 19. He had little amateur orchestra play hi works. A man named Antonio Diabelli hesitantly agreed to publish some of Franz work. The process was later ceased and Franz began to receive the meager pittance, which were all the publishing house ever accorded to him. The public just didn’t seem to be drawn in as easy.

            In 1822-1825 were Franz’s darkest years. Nothing seemed to go right and no one would take in his works. Several operas were rejected, or stopped the performances within days of release. Though, Franz did in 1823 did his first song cycle, Die schöne Müllerin, after poems by Wilhelm Müllen. He also began his “Unfinished” Symphony {Symphony No. 8 in B minor (D. 759)} in 1822. No one is for certain exactly why he never completed it. He also composed Mass in A flat (D. 678).

            1825 and onward were brighter years for Franz. For 1825, a pleasant holiday was being celebrated in Upper Austria and to his surprise Franz was welcomed with delight. 1826, completed Symphony No. 9 (D. 944), but as later refurbished for performance in ’28. He completed “Death and the Maiden”, String Quartet in D minor (D. 894, Op. 78) in winter of 1825-26. Following year, Fantasia for piano and violin in C (D. 934) and Song for Miriam, Mass in E flat (D. 956).

            Franz had been sick with syphilis in 1822. His health declined since. He came down with other symptoms, most likely the typhoid fever to end it. There was also a hint of mercury poisoning as well. Franz Schubert died at age 31 on November 19, 1828. At 3 p.m., “someone observed that he had ceased to breathe.” He had been staying in the care of his brother, Ferdinand at the time in his apartment in Vienna. At his request, he was buried next to Beethoven in the Währing cemetery. His remains was moved, along with Beethoven’s, to the Zentralfriedhof in 1888. In 1872, a memorial was erected to Franz Schubert in Vienna’s Stadtpark.