Mozart v. Schubert Two of the Best-Known

Mozart v. Schubert

Two of the best-known composers of all time, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Peter Schubert, shared much in common in terms of their upbringing. Both from present-day Austria, Mozart and Schubert grew up in musical families, with fathers that fostered their innate talents. Although Mozart is more famous for his being a child prodigy, Schubert also showed an early predilection for musical genius even if he wasn't writing symphonies by the time he was five years old as Mozart did. Mozart did have more access to quality schooling and training throughout his formative years than Schubert did, although the latter eventually gained entry into the Convict, one of the most notable music academies at the time. At the Convict, Schubert studied under Mozart's supposed nemesis, Antonio Salieri. However, Schubert was born six years after Mozart died, and also looked up to his predecessor as much as he did to his mentor Salieri. Both Mozart and Schubert were highly prolific musicians, and though their musical styles differ greatly due to their being several generations apart, they are both legendary figures in the canon of musical history.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, in present-day Austria, in 1756. Immediately immersed into music by his father, young Wolfgang Amadeus learned how to play the piano and the violin. By five, Amadeus was composing. His father Leopold nurtured his son's talents largely for self-serving financial interests. Leopold Mozart was also a musician but saw that his young son could draw far larger crowds, and far more money, than he could. Throughout his childhood, Mozart traveled throughout the European continent giving performances. On many of his journeys he was accompanied by his sister Maria Anna "Nannerl," who accompanied him in duets and also sang. As a teenager, Mozart also toured Europe with his mother. Schubert did not have the opportunity to tour Europe as his predecessor did. However, like Mozart, Schubert also performed with his siblings, who were musicians as well.

Franz Schubert was born in 1797 in a suburb of Vienna. Schubert's family was poorer in general than Mozart's was, and although Franz's father was an amateur musician, he was less business savvy than was Leopold Mozart. Franz senior was a schoolmaster who did teach his son all he could to jump-start his musical career. The first instrument that Schubert was known to have learned was the violin. Whereas Mozart was quickly introduced to the life of a paid and traveling musician, Schubert was not. He often took work in his father's school and lived largely off of handouts. Schubert received no formal training until he was offered a position at the Convict, under Salieri's tutelage. During the early years of his career as a composer, Schubert was influenced largely by Mozart, especially in his symphonies and overtures ("Franz Schubert" in Wikipedia). Mozart was influenced by Bach as well as Handel. Hayden became one of Mozart's closest friends.

Mozart and Schubert both created glorious works of music in a range of genres. Mozart produced a wider range of compositions: operas, piano concertos, symphonies, chamber music, string quartets, solo pieces for various instruments, and religious masses. Similarly, Schubert composed symphonies, operas, cantatas, and string quartets, but he was more known for his uplifting Romantic-era songs. Influenced largely by the proliferation of Romantic poetry during his lifetime, Schubert composed songs that mimicked poetry in their intensity and emotional passion. Schubert also delved into plays and compositions for performance art. Mozart's music was more thoroughly classical in its style, with some somber and intense moments.

Mozart enjoyed a high degree of professional and personal success during the course of their lives. He was regularly employed and received permanent positions at court and for aristocratic elements of Viennese society. Mozart enjoyed having a lot of money and spent it freely. Schubert, on the other hand, while highly respected and loved by his peers, did not enjoy much recognition or financial success while he was alive. Publishers barely looked at his work. In fact, many of his stage productions as well as his musical compositions failed completely and he had to accept financial assistance from friends and family. However, during the most creative and productive years of his life, Schubert produced a slew of poetically-influenced songs that have yet to be rivaled by any other composer. Also, Schubert had a different social life and social milieu than Mozart did. Schubert's friends lived a Bohemian lifestyle and provided all of Schubert's material needs. Both Mozart and Schubert were therefore respected within their own social circles. Late in Schubert's life he finally received some of the recognition he deserved.