Schubert Sheet Music

Schubert Sheet Music and Biography

Franz Schubert was an amazing Austrian composer who died at the very young age of just thirty-one. Popular Schubert sheet music featured on our site includes Ave Maria, Pastorale from D946, and the Winterreise song cycle starting with Gute Nacht.

Despite his early years, he produced a huge array of works. This included over six hundred secular vocal works, seven complete symphonies, operas, sacred music, and a large collection of piano and chamber music.

We have over 120 arrangements of Schubert’s sheet music.

Early Life

Schubert was born in Vienna in 1797 and was the twelfth child of fourteen, (nine died in infancy). His father was a schoolmaster and gave him his first tuition at the age of five. He later enrolled at his father’s school. Schubert’s brother gave him piano lessons but he excelled very quickly, and within a short time no longer required his tuition. (I imagine that this was a source of many arguments despite his brother’s quote below..)

His brother Iguaz said,
‘I was amazed when Franz told me, a few months after we began, that he had no need of any further instruction from me, and that for the future he would make his own way. And in truth, his progress in a short period was so great that I was forced to acknowledge in him a master who had completely distanced and outstripped me, and whom I despaired of overtaking.‘

At the age of eleven Schubert won a scholarship that gained him a place in the court chapel choir and an education at the Stadtkonvikt. This was the principal boarding school for commoners in Vienna.

From an early age, he was regarded as a young genius… Between 1813 and 1815 he wrote a large variety of compositions (including five string quartets and three full-scale symphonies). At the age of only sixteen!… and whilst training at college, he wrote his first full-length opera.

He dedicated his last three piano sonatas to Johann Hummel. However, they were not published until the death of both composers. Consequently, the publishers changed the dedication to Robert Schumann who was performing and composing at the time.

Difficult Times

When we discuss infamous composers such as Schubert you never think to imagine that they didn’t lead a perfect life composing music and reaping the benefits … Schubert’s life was far from perfect… Suffering a lot of ill health, unsuccessful attempts in applying for employment, and financial deprivation (at one time he was penniless!)

In 1828 – (the final year of his life) Schubert wrote a succession of masterpieces. He performed his one and only ever public concert. This unsurprisingly was a huge success enabling Schubert to buy himself a piano! Sadly, the piano did not receive the amount of playing it deserved as he died later that year of typhoid.

Schubert left many unfinished pieces and sketches of songs that provide some insight into the working of his creative mind…

Sheet Music Downloads and Further Reading

On music-scores.com we have over 120 arrangements of Schubert sheet music in PDF format for you to download.

If you want to learn more about this composer take a look at Wikipedia or Britannica.