Even persons who describe themselves as Schubert lovers may be surprised by the fact that the master of Lieder Franz Schubert (1797-1828) also composed up to 21 works for the stage. Why these pieces are almost forgotten today, can be answered rather easily. From the twelve pieces which he finished, only four have been performed in his life time and were also not very successful. But also today, the pieces can be scarcely found on the playing list of theatres, even in Germany and Austria. Literature often offers the possible explanation that the used libretti were of bad quality and Schubert, the “lyricist” (Partsch 20), was not able of supplying opera dramatics. The simplification that this assumption contains will be explained, especially in regard to the problematic history of German opera itself.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Why Have Schubert's Works for the Stage Been Disregarded?
- Schubert's Works for the Stage
- Schubert's Works for the Stage – A Critical Overview
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This text explores the reasons behind the relative obscurity of Franz Schubert's works for the stage. It aims to provide an overview of his stage compositions and analyze the factors contributing to their lack of recognition.
- Schubert's prolific output of stage works despite his short life.
- The incompleteness of many of his stage works and the impact on their performance and study.
- The quality of the libretti and their potential influence on the success of Schubert's stage works.
- Schubert's engagement with different stage genres and his evolving style.
- The historical context of German opera and its impact on the reception of Schubert's stage works.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Why Have Schubert's Works for the Stage Been Disregarded? This chapter introduces the topic by noting the surprising lack of recognition for Schubert's stage works. It presents the common explanation of poor librettos as insufficient to account for the neglect and introduces the complexity of the German opera history as a possible factor.
- Schubert's Works for the Stage This chapter provides a detailed list of Schubert's stage works, including information about the librettists, dating, genre, and performance history. It highlights the significant number of unfinished or lost works and raises questions about the reasons behind this phenomenon.
- Schubert's Works for the Stage – A Critical Overview This chapter delves into the implications of the incompleteness of Schubert's stage works and examines potential explanations. It explores the significance of fragments in Schubert's overall work, discusses the unique case of Claudine von Villa Bella, and analyzes the implications for performance and musicological research. It also underlines Schubert's continued interest in theatre throughout his life.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This text focuses on Schubert's stage works, exploring the historical context and reasons behind their limited recognition. Key terms and concepts include: German opera, Singspiel, Zauberoper, libretto, opera dramatics, fragments, incompleteness, performance history, musicological research.
- Citation du texte
- Nora Görne (Auteur), 2011, Schubert and his Works for the Stage, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/177728
