Beethoven vs. Schubert - A Paper on Early Romanticism

A question you could be asked while growing up, and even after moving into your adult life is “who is your favorite composer”?. The question can be posed by anyone, ranging from trained classical musicians to lay people who see classical music from a fleeting perspective. While the former may give varied answers to the question, the latter are likely to give common answers, one such common answer being Ludwig von Beethoven. This begs the question of why; why is Beethoven such a common answer among people who may not be able to name more the a handful of his pieces, and even scarcer, could hardly tell you what they sound like. The answer is simple; Beethoven had such a profound impact on music history, that he was become a commonplace household name. When you break down Beethoven’s life into three major sections, you can dissect and analyze each separately, and see how his life had a ripple effect that would change music history as a whole.

In Beethoven’s early life, you first take a look at his upbringing. Beethoven studied with several of the greats. He had lessons with Haydn beginning at a young age, which ended in 1794. He also studied with compositional experts such as Albrechsberger and Salieri, both of whom helped Beethoven become established as a pianist and composer. This earned the attention of many patrons, who were quite generous in their support of Beethoven. During Beethoven’s first period, it appears the main focus was to garner reputation and to build a following, both of which were achieved, as evidenced by his patrons and his well-to-do students. This period of Beethoven’s life is primarily characterized by his willingness to learn from other great composers, but is really marked at it’s end by Beethoven’s divergence from the greats and their previous styles. While Beethoven’s Sonate pathétique opens with a very strong dominant function pull towards home, Beethoven did not adhere nearly as strictly to the ii-V-i feel that previous composers had, and instead focused on a massive development section, resulting in a “stormy, passionate character” in a piece that begins to show a “stunning depiction of grief, that is recalled before the development and again just before the end of the movement”. These emotional pulls some of the major characteristics of the romantic era, and as such, it seems appropriate that Beethoven uses them early on.

The second period of Beethoven’s life is characterized by his struggles. This is, perhaps, the most remembered period of his life, but many people do not quite seem to grasp just how seriously is affected Beethoven. This period is characterized mainly by Beethoven’s realizing that his deafness was becoming/became permanent, his subsequent thoughts of suicide, and his final self-realization that he should continue being a vehicle for his art form. Great compositions from this period include his third symphony, which evokes feelings of triumph. In this third symphony, you can hear a rising melodic line soaring over top of whoever may be accompaniment at the time; everyone seems to get a chance to play the melody, so it seemed only fitting that once Napoleon stopped being the people’s champion that Beethoven violently scratched out his name from the dedication.

Beethoven’s late life was characterized by deep contrast; he had all of the fame and renown that he could have wanted, all of which was due to the music he could no longer hear. His final years composing were spent primarily in isolation, becoming “moody and morbidly suspicious even toward his friends.” You can continue to see Beethoven’s post war depression in his largest composed works, which were the Missa Solemnis and his Ninth Symphony, which is arguably his most recognized piece of music. However, it is the rest of his music that really personifies the isolation at the end of his life. His String Quartet in A Minor is a perfect example of this. Beethoven spent the last years of his life composing piano sonatas and string quartets, both of which are “traditionally intended for private music-making”.

All in all, Beethoven’s impact on the Romantic era cannot be understanding and he is arguably to the reason that such expressive music started. Among other things, the industrial revolution began to have a large impact on other composers continuing to expand on Beethoven’s ideas, but largely the ideas of freedom, and change continued to persist after several revolutions had taken Europe during the classical period. People were beginning to appreciate music in the hands of amateurs, which in turn gave rise to composers composing for the same amateurs. The idea of music for a private music-making setting persisted, which composers such as Franz Schubert becoming masters of the Lieder. Lieder is defined as “a fusion of music and poetry, centering on the expression of individual feelings, with descriptive musical imagery and aspects of folk style.” German Lied is meant to tell a story, and the story is often told in the small settings, showing that Beethoven’s final years continued to reinforce music for personal enjoyment rather than religious/state control.

Franz Schubert, as mentioned, was the master of the German Lied. Schubert strove to “make music equal to the words, not merely their frame”. For what seems to be the first time, the idea of story-telling in song has been created. Perhaps the most famous example of this is Schubert’s Erlkönig; this pieces tells the story of a little boy and his father riding through the forests being chased by the Erlkönig, or the Elf King. One could interpret the Elf King as Death himself given that only the son could see him; perhaps the son was sick and dying, or perhaps the father was running away from the idea of death. Either way, this is the exact intent of program music in the Romantic Era. The music tells a story and paints a picture, but it is entirely up to the listening what the story means and how the events play out, and Schubert’s songs “set the standard that later song composers strove to match”.

While Beethoven is considered the bridge between the classical and romantic eras, it is worth wondering whether the transition would have happened without him; was the industrial revolution enough to spurn music towards its ultimate landing place? Was the romantic era destined to happen regardless, or did Beethoven single-handedly usher in a new era for music. One can’t say for sure. However, the following can definitely be said; while Beethoven and Schubert are the primary mentioned composers in the romantic era, romanticism had no real home or leader. It became a genre that overtook everything it touched, and the emotional complexity it introduced to music can still be felt today.

Burkholder, James Peter, Donald Jay Grout, and Claude V. Palisca. 2019. A History of Western Music. 10th ed. W.W. Norton & Company