Schubert: The Boy Who Wrote Beautiful Songs
Franz Schubert was an Austrian composer bridging the Classical and Romantic periods.
Free eBook
Suggestions
- Map the following (you’ll find mapping resources below):
- Austria
- Vienna, Austria (where Schubert was born)
- Listen to “” or “The Trout,” the melody “worth remembering all one’s life” according to the author.
- Listen to a portion of “Das Wandern” or “The Wandering Miller” (Track 1).
- View a modern photo of the house where Schubert was born.
- Use this interactive timeline maker to create a timeline of Schubert’s life and include Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, and William Cullen Bryant. Schubert was born January 31, 1797, and died November 19, 1828.
- Learn more about Von Weber, Rossini, Czerny, and Donizetti.
- Add each of the four composers above to your Schubert timeline.
- Czerny was three years older than Schubert.
- Listen to the Prelude to Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti.
- Learn more about Schubert’s father, Franz Theodor Schubert.
- View a portrait of Antonio Salieri, the teacher of Schubert, Beethoven, and Liszt.
- Listen to “The Serenade” by Schubert.
- Listen to Erlkönig or The Erl-King by Schubert.
- View a portrait of Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
- Review Joseph Haydn and the Esterhazy family.
- Franz Schubert would have been 21 years old in 1818.
- View a lithograph of Johann Michael Vogl, the Austrian baritone who collaborated with Schubert.
- Read more about Johann Michael Vogl (scroll down).
- The illustration of Schubert accompanying Vogl as he sings is actually a drawing by Moritz von Schwind called Schubertiade 1868. A schubertiade is an event held to celebrate the music of Schubert.
- Depending on the age of your child you may want to read Scott’s Lady of the Lake.
- The composition that resulted when Schubert set some of Scott’s Lady of the Lake to music is called Opus 52 containing seven songs. One of these is “Ellen’s Third Song,” popularly known as “Ave Maria.”
- Review Beethoven.
- The author who wrote The Last of the Mohicans, The Spy, The Pilot, and The Pioneer is James Fenimore Cooper.
- Beethoven composed nine symphonies.
- Listen to the 2nd movement of Symphony No. 8 The Unfinished.
- Antonio Salieri taught Schubert harmony.
- Add Schubert to your composer timeline.
- You can write or narrate your story on Schubert notebooking pages below.
- Use the “Some Questions” section as oral or written narration prompts.
- Learn more about Schubert from the Book of Knowledge:
Franz Peter Schubert (1797–1828) was born in Vienna, into a home where money was not plentiful but where music was a part of daily life. His father and older brother taught him piano, violin and theory. He began composing when he was barely thirteen and did not stop until the end of his short life.
He admired Beethoven’s rich and beautiful harmonies; and he wrote into his piano and chamber music chord combinations that must have surprised and confused the musicians of his day. In thirty-one years Schubert gave the world more than six hundred songs, eight symphonies and dozens of wonderful Viennese dances. He wrote piano sonatas and chamber music that were even more difficult for the performers than the works of Beethoven.
“Three Great Centuries in Music” from The Book of Knowledge
Further Investigation
Franz Schubert
Simple biography at KidsMusicCorner.co.uk.
Franz Schubert
Biography aimed at students at ArtsAlive.ca.
Franz Peter Schubert
More extensive biography at MusicAcademyOnline.com.
Selected Works
Schubert: Greatest Hits
Our favorite listening series.
Symphony No. 8 in B Minor Unfinished – I. Allegro moderato
Symphony No. 8 in B Minor Unfinished – II. Antante con moto
Activities
Franz Schubert
Biography, selected works, and activity sheet at ClassicsForKids.com.
Timeline
Use this interactive at ReadWriteThink.org to create a composer’s timeline.
Books
Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends by Opal Wheeler
Some really enjoy these music biographies by Opal Wheeler.
“Franz Peter Schubert”
Chapter from Stories of Great Musicians by Katherine Lois Scobey.
“Franz Schubert”
Chapter from The World’s Greatest Men of Music by Harriette Brower. Subtitled Story-Lives of Master Musicians, this public domain title tracks nicely with our free music studies.
“Franz Peter Schubert”
Chapter from First Studies in Music Biography also by Thomas Tapper.
Child’s Own Book of Great Musicians: The Complete Collection from Bach to Wagner
Complete collection on Kindle (can be read on any device).
The Gift of Music: Great Composers and Their Influence by Jane Stuart Smith & Betty Carlson
Our favorite overall music appreciation reference book. Over 300 pages long covering 43 composers along with Christmas carols. Not only covers the influence of the composer but also how his faith influenced his works. Recommended reading and listening guides at the end of each section. Highly recommended!
Printables & Notebooking Pages
World Map
At EduPlace.com for locating Austria.
Austria Map
PAT map for locating Vienna.
Free 18-Page Composer Notebooking Set {Time Limited}
This free set of generic pages from HomeschoolNotebooking.com goes perfectly with our studies.
Schubert: The Boy Who Wrote Beautiful Songs Notebooking Pages
Simple pages for copywork, narrations, or wrapping up.
Enjoy the entire series:
DIY Homeschooler 
