SCHUBERT'S WORK

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 73, 30 March 1929, Page 23

SCHUBERT'S WORK

LECTURE BY MR. TREVOR

FISHER

An interesting lecture was given on Thursday evening by Mr. Trevor Fisher on Schubert, the greatest of song writers, before members of the music section of the New Zealand Amateur Arts and Literature Association. Mr. Fisher spoke of Schubert's genius as a child, his wholehearted devotion to music, his quarrels with his father because of his unwillingness to do anything but compose, and the great number of beautiful songs written while he was still comparatiyely unmatured. When only eighteen his output of songs ran into several hundreds a year, besides many instrumental pieces While still young he was profoundly stirred by the poems of Goethe, and he used them as words to his musical setting. This the lecturer illustrated by two gramophone records "Marguerita at the Spinning Wheel" and "The Erl King." Songs had been written before the time of Schubert, but his was the initial use of a colourful accompaniment. His livelihood depended almost solely on the sale of his songs; several times he taught for his father* who was a school teacher, but the work was distasteful to him, and again he gave music lessons, yet the greater part of his time he was free to compose. His creative work was always done in the morning; the afternoon would be devoted to walking, and in the evening ho would sup with boon companions. So devoted -was he to his work that he would even go to bed with, his spectacles on so as to save time in the morning. Schubert was very weak as a man of business, and publishers generally obtained, his songs much below their real value. Eventually, however, he attained popularity, and his songs were given with great success by popular singers from the concert platform. After his death critics condemned the public of his day for not according Schubert greater support, the publishers for underpaying him, and the aristocracy for lack of patronage, yet it .had to be remembered that Schubert had none but himself to support, he was able ot give almost all of his time to tho joys of composing, and he was chased by publishers at an ago when most composers were unknown. Besides, his music was often extremely diih'cult, and, although it might gain great popular support when published it was also possible that it might not sell at all well.

Mr. Fisher illustrated the "ghostly" feeling of some of the songs of Schubert's day with a record of "The Double Phantom," sung with great effect by a Russian basso. In addition to other songs, records of Schubert's instrumental worksg iven were "The Unfinished Symphony"—without which no Schubert recital would be complete—the Symphony in C Major, and the overture "Rosamunde." Mrs. Russell sang feelingly two of Schubert's most popular numbers, "To Sylvia,' and the exquisite "Serenade," and Mr. Fisher played brilliantly the "Marche Militairc."