Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony uses the key of B minor, which for composers like Bach and Beethoven, and Schubert himself, was associated with grief, yearning, loneliness, and death.
Composer Biography
Franz Schubert set the 'Stabat Mater' text twice in quick succession in 1815-16, while still studying with Antonio Salieri and having already completed an impressive list of works.
Composition History
Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony, composed in October 1822, is speculated to be influenced by his diagnosis of syphilis, which was then a terminal illness.
Compositional Technique
Schumann's Missa Sacra op. 147 showcases a harmonically complex and polyphonic compositional technique, reflecting his intense study of Baroque music in his later years.
Compositional Technique
A basic principle of Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony is that idyllic melodies are often 'swallowed up' by sudden, terrifying abysses, revealing terror behind beauty.
Composition History
Schubert never heard his 'Unfinished' Symphony performed; the manuscript was kept by his friend Anselm Hüttenbrenner for decades until its premiere in 1865.
Composer Biography
Robert Schumann, who once described himself as 'religious without any religion,' only became deeply involved with sacred music after becoming Düsseldorf's music director in 1850.
