Franz Schubert was born in the suburbs, in the “Zum roten Krebsen” house, and is the first “genuine” Viennese composer among those we have featured so far. If you glance around, you’ll immediately notice the bourgeois comfort reflected in the interior design, with silk wall coverings and beautiful furniture. Schubert himself however, could have only dreamt of such luxury. 

In Schubert’s days, Vienna was anything but a desirable place to live. The sanitary and medical conditions were catastrophic and clean drinking water was scarce, meaning that disease spread rapidly. The majority of the population lived in terrible conditions; malnutrition, tuberculosis and cholera were constantly present. Rents were also extremely high, meaning that large families had to live in close quarters. Schubert’s father for example, who was a teacher, had just two rooms at his disposal. He used one as a classroom and in the other one lived the family – of his 14 children, only five survived.

The loss of many siblings and the poor conditions naturally had an effect on Schubert’s musical work. As you can see from the lyrics on the rotating panels in the middle of the room, he often chose motifs like death and loss. But the Romantic era is also known for being filled with a love of nature and infatuation. Song cycles such as “Die schöne Müllerin” and “Die Winterreise” are still popular today, and remain a permanent fixture in concert repertoires.

Schubert composed around a thousand works over a period of about 15 years – with ironclad discipline, while sitting at a table, without using a piano. Essential for his ability to compose were his glasses, which you can see in the tall corner cabinet on your left – one of our most valuable exhibits. The piano in this room didn’t belong to Schubert. He didn’t own one until the last 6 years before he died. Schubert needed to make very few corrections to his work, and when he did want to check something, he visited his friends and used their pianos.

Schubert’s group of friends was also very valuable in musical terms, as they provided a setting for his works to be premiered. Due to the political situation, which was extremely tense at the time, Austria resembled a police state – the bourgeoisie withdrew into the privacy of their own homes, giving rise to the artistic Biedermeier movement. The Schubertiaden (musical social gatherings involving Schubert’s friends) emerged, during which “house music” was played to a very high standard.

We can see such an evening depicted here by the painter Moritz von Schwind, who was Schubert’s friend. Schubert is shown sitting at the piano; the large man sitting in front of the instrument is the tenor, Johann Michael Vogl, who premiered most of Schubert’s songs. On Schubert’s other side sits the host, Josef von Spaun. On the right side of the painting stands a group of artists, the third is Moritz von Schwind himself. A little further to the right, sit the only two guests who are not attentively listening to the music: Franz von Schober, with whom Schubert lived for many years, is shown flirting with his girlfriend. Immediately behind Schober’s girlfriend stands the poet, Franz Grillparzer.