Little is known about the relationship between Schubert and Wagner. Over the years, the apple of my eyes learnt to overcome his shyness to some extent, but Wagner’s overwhelming personality was a tough test for him. They might have met several times; as I said last week, maybe Schubert also attended that 1863 meeting where Brahms and Wagner were first introduced, although they didn’t become friends, they kept in mutual respect and admiration. Schubert gave opera up very early, demotivated by the cold reception his works have. Despite being told that he only needed a good libretto, he suspected that the main problem was another: he used to compose German opera, while the audience wanted Italian opera (and then he smiled, remembering his good master Salieri). No doubt many Italian operas with absurd libretti were really successful in Vienna! So, after his [...]

 

Franz Schubert died on 19 November 1883 and this week we're commemorating on Liederabend the 134th anniversary of his death. He was 86 years old, and he passed away quietly, as he had always sung in his Lieder: he took a nap after having lunch and death took him in his arms to rest after a long and worthwhile life. From that inner circle of friends, he used to gather with during his youth, only two of them were still with him: Anton Stadler, his friend since his boarding school times, who died five years later, and Eduard Bauernfeld, who died in 1890. The rest had already died; the dearest Franz Schober, just one year earlier. Grillparzer, too; someone else should write his epitaph.

 

If I ask you the names of Italian composers, it's easy, isn't it? If I ask you Italian composers not known because of their operas... not that easy. And what about Italian song composers? Well, it's becoming increasingly difficult... But we all know Italian song composers! The 19th-century Italian salons weren't unaware of that fashionable entertainment and the most important opera composers (Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini or Verdi) wrote some romanze di salotto, clearly of operatic inspiration, to be performed by amateur singers and pianists with some technical background; Towards the end of the century, the canzone napoletane, originally traditional song, also became parlour songs.

 

 

Schubert steadily appeared on Liederabend during the last few weeks, and more he will do so! Whatever the reason is, we often need him. I've been keeping the song we're listening today for months, Litanei auf das Fest Aller Seelen (Litany for the Fest of All Souls); in fact, it is on the Neue Schubert-Ausgabe with a slightly different name, Am Tage Aller Seelen and it's also called just Litanei. Robert Capell, the author of the book “Schubert's Songs”, published in 1929, says about this lied: "there was never a truer or more touching expression of simple devotion and consoled grief". And also: "the music rises from a pure well of affection and humility." After such words, I could just invite you to listen to the song, but first, let me tell you some more things about it.