The Life of Schubert: Musical Lives

The Life of Schubert: Musical Lives

by Christopher H . Gibbs (Author), Gibbs (Author)

Synopsis

Franz Schubert's tragically short life was spent in one of Europe's most richly musical cities: a Vienna that worshipped Beethoven, adored Rossini, and thrilled to Paganini. Schubert, with the help of supportive friends who were themselves immersed in the arts, won fame for himself through songs and dances while aspiring to succeed with larger operas and symphonies. Christopher Gibbs considers how and what Schubert composed, taking a fresh look at this misunderstood figure, particularly the unfolding of his professional career, his relationship to Beethoven, the growth of his reputation and public image and the darker side of drinking, depression and sexual ambiguity. This searching and sympathetic biography questions the customary sentimental cliches and the recent revisionist views concerning this elusive genius.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 228
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 12 Jan 2008

ISBN 10: 0521595126
ISBN 13: 9780521595124
Book Overview: This searching biography takes a fresh look at this elusive and misunderstood genius.

Media Reviews
' ... a well-researched, warmly written, and refreshing new look at the Austrian composer.' The Library Journal
' ... timely and valuable ... Mr Gibbs, with his solid grounding and balanced view, packs a great deal into a small space ...'. New York Times
' ... timely and valuable ... Gibbs, with his solid grounding and balanced view, packs a great deal into a small space and supplies a corrective still sorely needed, or, as he suggests, needed now more than ever, as seductive new theories mingle freely with comfortable old myths.' International Herald Tribune
'A clear-sighted, brisk survey of the life.' Hilary Finch, BBC Music Magazine
'The latest book in Cambridge's excellent series of short, non-specialist Musical Lives.' Guy Dammann, The Times Literary Supplement
'The book in general is concise, scholarly and clearly written ... and I learnt a lot from it about Schubert and about Viennese musical life in the 1820s that was new to me.' Opera
...timely and valuable. Mr. Gibbs, with his solid grounding and balanced view, packs a great deal into a small space and supplies a corrective still sorely needed. --New York Times, June 19, 2000
One of the best concise depictions of the man Schubert. Alan Hirsh, Booklist
A well researched, warmly written, and refreshing new look at the Austrian composer. Timothy J. McGee, Library Journal
This slender volume, crammed with good research, should be the paradigm for the contemporary biography. --Kirkus Review, Apr. 1, 2000
Gibbs, with his solid grounding and balanced view, packs a great deal into a small space and supplies a corrective still sorely needed... James R. Oestreich, International Herald Tribune
...excellent, compact, and readable biography....it better presents a wide range of issues in more informal, yet compelling, language. Recommended for all academic and public collections. Choice
Christopher H. Gibbs's slim volume, The Life of Schubert, in Cambridge University Press's series Musical Lives, is therefore timely and valuable. Though terse, it brings all those matters up to date in an eminently readable manner. Books of the Times