Despite his unstable personal life, Franz Schubert's compositional output in 1817-1818 was immense, including over 300 compositions, 4 piano sonatas, and symphonies.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Franz Schubert was deeply influenced by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, noting in his diary that Mozart's music left beneficial impressions of a 'lighter and better life' on his soul.
Composer Biography
During the period these sonatas were written (1817-1818), Franz Schubert's personal circumstances were unstable, having left his teaching job and lacking steady income.
Instruments
The fortepiano used for the D major, A minor, and G minor sonatas was built by Franz Münzenberger, a Viennese piano maker active around 1819-1820, whose instruments Schubert could have known.
Instruments
The fortepiano for the A major sonata was made by Conrad Graf, a renowned Viennese builder whose pianos were played by famous musicians like Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt, and whose workshop made the only piano Schubert ever owned.
Performer Biography
Lena Neudauer, the violinist on this recording, won the Leopold Mozart Competition at age fifteen, receiving not only first prize but also nearly all special awards.
Composition History
The three earlier sonatas (D major, A minor, G minor) were published years after Franz Schubert's death by Anton Diabelli as 'Sonatinas' to promote sales, despite exceeding the usual length of a sonatina.
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Schubert: Violin Sonatas
Schubert: Violin & Piano
Schubert: 3 Violin Sonatas, Op. 137
Schubert: Complete Works for Violin and Pianoforte
Schubert: Sonatas and Fantasy for Violin and Fortepiano
