Schubert

by Marcel Schneider

Rare book

224 pages, Pocket Book

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Alva Rasmussen]

passar bra om du ofta ställt dig frågan ”var schubert romantikens störste, ett gudabenådat geni som i motsats till gängse uppfattning helt saknar mänskliga brister?” och vill ha ett starkt JA som varar i 150 sidor som svar på den frågan. kanske är det bara ett misstag att läsa andraklassbiografier från 50-talet

[Mateicee]

Hat mich leider nicht überzeugen können. Der Autor ist sehr begeistert von Schubert und damit auch sehr voreingenommen. Das wäre an sich nicht weiter tragisch, wenn das Buch nicht so seltsam geschrieben wäre. Es hat eine wirkliche Struktur der es folgt, wenn ich das mit dem Wikipediaeintrag vergleiche liegen da Welten dazwischen. Auch benutzt der Autor Ausdrücke bei denen ich mehrfach prüfen musste wann es veröffentlicht wurde.

[SP]

As a devoted music lover who ranks Schubert as the greatest of all composers, I had high expectations for this book. But to be honest, it is far too biased. The author's writing and selection of material are extremely personal, resulting in a book that is anything but a balanced introduction to Schubert.

The first six chapters are organized chronologically, covering Schubert’s life from birth to death. Chapters seven to thirteen each focus on a different genre of Schubert’s compositions. The final chapter, chapter fourteen, analyzes Schubert’s place in music history, concluding that he was a pioneer of Romanticism.

However, due to the author's selective approach and subjective opinions, the book is extremely unbalanced. It is shocking that Schubert’s most important works—his songs—are given only a single chapter, and that chapter is merely five pages long! Out of over six hundred songs, at least two hundred are masterpieces, yet they receive barely any attention. Even his three great song cycles are mentioned only in passing.

In contrast, Schubert’s weakest dramatic works are inexplicably given a full list and timeline. This is a truly bizarre structure.

After finishing the book, the impression you’re left with is that Schubert was a sociable man who composed quickly, was prolific, and died young. But you still don’t understand why he was great, or why he is called the king of song.

Schubert is my favorite composer—by far, above all others. So reading this book left me not just disappointed, but also bewildered and even a little angry.

[Licia]

Plume poétiquement passionnée et admirative ♥️
Un livre esthétique.