Franz Schubert's apprenticeship in the short song: 1815-1816.

Abstract

In 1815 and 1816 Franz Schubert imposed upon himself a song apprenticeship, relying heavily on the short strophic song as a model for composition. He composed 256 songs during these two years, 40% of his total songs. This dissertation describes details in the pre-1815 settings (of texts by Friedrich Matthisson) that anticipate Schubert's habits of apprenticeship; catalogs all texts that Schubert chose for the 1815-1816 songs (divided into ballads, poems about the lady, poems about nature, didactic poems, and laments); and discusses musical structure first in the short songs of 1815 and then in those of 1816, by studying four components: (1) division of phrases, (2) melody; (3) rhythm; (4) closure. Representative songs are analyzed to show the specific ways that Schubert gave musical expression to a text and to show the ways that musical details in a song interrelate and produce a coherent musical design. Specific topics include: (1) standard 16-bar, 4-phrase structure and modifications in 3-phrase and 2-phrase songs; (2) melodic pivotal notes and governing intervals such as the rising fourth; (3) repeated-note accompaniments; (4) multiple song-settings; and (5) the emerging role of independent piano measures (introduction/interlude/epilogue).