Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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1823— SCHUBERT —1824 301
it is both tedious and improbable. It had
moreover the disadvantage of competition with
a sensational spectacular piece, written expressly
to suit the taste of the suburban house, the
Theatre an-der-Wien, at which Kosamunde
'
was produced, and which, since the time when
Schikaneder induced Mozart to join him in the
'Magic Flute,'' had a reputation for such extravaganzas.
Schubert completed the music in
five days.^ It consists of an Overture in D,^
since published as 'Alfonso und Estrella,' op.
69 ; three Entr'actes ; two numbers of ballet
music ; a little piece for clarinets, horns, and
bassoons, called a ' Shepherds' Melody, ' of bewitching
beauty ; a Romance for soprano solo,
and three choruses. The Romance (op. 26),
the Shepherds' chorus, the Entr'acte in 'Bi>,
and the Air de Ballet in G, are not only very
beautiful but very attractive ; and the Entr'acte
in B minor, of a grand, gloomy, and highly
imaginative cast, is one of the finest pieces of
music existing. The play was brought out on
Dec. 20, 1823 ; the overture, though the entire
orchestral part of the music had only one
rehearsal of two hours, was twice redemanded,
other numbers were loudly applauded, and
Schubert himself was called for at the close ;
but it only survived one more representation,
and then the parts were tied up and forgotten
till the year 1867, when they were discovered
by two English travellers in Vienna.*
Besides the Miillerlieder several independent
songs of remarkable beauty belong to 1823.
Conspicuous among these are Viola ' ' (Schneegloeklein
; op. 123), a long composition full of
the most romantic tenderness and delicacy,
with all the finish of Meissonnier's pictures,
and all his breadth and dignity. Also the
'Zwerg' (op. 22, No. 1), by Matthias von
Collin, in which Schubert has immortalised
the one brother, as Beethoven, in his overture
to ' Coriolan, ' did the other. This long, dramatic,
and most pathetic ballad, which but few can
hear unmoved, was written absolutely a Vim-
^ Floduced at the Theatre an-der-Wien. Sept. 30, 1791.
2 So saya Wilhelm Ton Chezy, the son of the librettist, vho was
on terms with Schubert. See his Joamsl, Srinnerwngen, etc., 1863.
3 The autograph is dated ' Dec. 1823.'
* [It is hard^ necessary to remind the reader that the two
travellers were Sir Ge*rge Grove and Sir Arthur Sallivan.]
B Kreissle, Sketch, p. 154 nou.
;
dated Feb. 1823, and the sketch of a scena for
tenor solo and chorus of men's voices with
orchestra, dated May 1823. The latter was
completed by Herbeck, and jiublished in 1868
by Spina as ' Eiidiger's Heimkehr.'
Ten works (opp. 15-24) were published in
1823. The earliest was a collection of dances,
viz., twelve Waltzes, nine Ecossaises, and
seventeen Landler, op. 18, published Feb. 5 ;
the PF. Fantasia, op. 15, followed on Feb. 24.
The rest are songs, either solo— op. 20, April 10
op. 22, May 27 ; op. 23, August 4 ; op. 24,
Oct. 7 ; op. 16, Oct. 9 ; op. 19, twenty-one (no
dates)—or part-songs, op. 17, Oct. 9. With
op. 20, the names of Sauer & Leidesdorf first
occur as publishers.
The year 1824 began almost exclusively with
instrumental compositions. An Introduction and
Variations for PF. and fiute (op. 160), on the
'Trockne Blumen' of the 'Schone Miillerin,'
are dated 'January,' and were followed by the
famous Octet (op. 166), for clarinet, horn,
bassoon, two violins, viola, violoncello, and
contrabass, which is marked as begun in
February, and finished on March 1. It was
written—not, let us hope, without adequate
remuneration, though that was probably the
last thing of which its author thought— for
Count F. von Troyer, chief officer of the household
to the Archduke Rudolph, Beethoven's
patron. In this beautiful composition Schubert
indulges his love of extension. It contains,
like Beethoven's Septet, eight movements ; but,
unlike the Septet, it occupies more than an
hour in performance. But though long, no
one can call it tedious.^ The Count played
the clarinet, and must have been delighted with
the expressive melody allotted to him in the
Andante. The work was performed immediately
after its composition, with Schuppanzigh,
Weiss, and Linke, three of the famous Rasoumowsky
quartet, amongst the players. His
association with the members of this celebrated
party may well have led Schubert to write
proviste, without note or sketch, at the top of his string quartets ; at any rate he himself tells us
speed, talking all the while to Eandhartinger, that he had written two before the 31st March,'
who was waiting to take him out for a walk.' and these are doubtless those in El> and E
Equal, if not superior, to these in merit, though (op. 125), since the only other quartet bearing
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of smaller dimensions, are Dass sie hier the date of 1824—that in A minor—has so
gewesen' (op. 59, No. 2) ; 'Du bist die Euh' strong a Hungarian flavour as to point to his
(do. No. 3) ; the Barcarolle, Auf dem Wasser
' visit to Zselesz later in the year. How powerfully
his thoughts were running at present on
zu singen ' (op. 72), to which no nearer date
than 1823 ' ' can be given. Below these again, orchestral music is evident from the fact that
though still fine songs, are Der ziimende he mentions both ' octet and quartets as studies
Barde' (Feb.) ; 'Drang in die Feme' (op. 71 ;
for 'the Grand Symphony,'* which was then
'
March 25) ; Pilgerweise ' (April)
' ; Vergissmeinnicht'
(May). The fine Sonata in A months later.
his goal, though he did not reach it till eighteen
minor for PF. solo, published as op. 143, is A bitter disappointment, however, was awaiting
him in the rejection of ' Fierrabras,' which,
s Published by Spina in 1854.
7 In his letter to Leopold Kupelwieaer of March 31, K.H. p. 321
(ii. 6|.
8
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In this manner I shall prepare the way to the Grand Symphony
(zur grossen Sintonie}.'
Ibid,