Famous Austrian Composers: Their Musical Legacies

Austria has produced some of the world's most renowned composers, from the Baroque period to the Romantic era and beyond. Arguably, the country's importance to the history of Western classical music is rooted in the work of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who together developed and promoted the symphony and the string quartet.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart's reputation as a composer grew steadily, and by the age of ten, he had reached a level of maturity comparable to that of older, established musicians. During his teenage years, he wrote instrumental works, music for school dramas, and his first operas, including the German Singspiel "Bastien und Bastienne". Despite his talent, Mozart struggled to find a suitable position and, at age fourteen, he and his father set off for Italy in search of better opportunities.

In Italy, Mozart was well-received and obtained commissions for several operas. He was also honoured by the Pope and inducted into the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna. During this period, he produced his first large-scale operas, including "Mitridate", "Ascanio in Alba", and "Lucio Silla", as well as his first string quartets.

Mozart's later years in Vienna, from age twenty-five until his death at age thirty-five in 1791, marked a period of remarkable creative development. During this time, he composed some of his most famous works, including his last three symphonies (No. 39 in E-flat Major, No. 40 in G Minor, and No. 41 in C Major, also known as the Jupiter Symphony), several string quartets, and his three greatest Italian operas: "Le nozze di Figaro", "Don Giovanni", and "Cosi fan tutte". Mozart's final work was the Requiem, which he left unfinished at the time of his death.

Today, Mozart is widely considered one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music, admired for the melodic beauty, formal elegance, and richness of harmony and texture in his compositions. His mastery of various musical genres, including opera and symphony, and his ability to convey feeling through music have secured his enduring legacy.

Joseph Haydn

At the age of eight, Haydn was recruited to sing in the choir at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, where he also learned to play the violin and keyboard. After being expelled when his voice changed, Haydn supported himself by teaching and playing the violin while studying counterpoint and harmony. He soon became an assistant to composer Nicola Porpora in exchange for lessons.

In 1761, Haydn was named Kapellmeister, or "court musician," at the palace of the influential Esterházy family, a position that would financially support him for nearly 30 years. Haydn's time with the Esterházys proved decisive for his career. He had a huge range of responsibilities, including composition, conducting the orchestra, playing chamber music, and eventually mounting operatic productions. During his time with the family, Haydn produced a flood of compositions, and his musical style continued to develop.

Haydn is remembered as the first great symphonist and the composer who essentially invented the string quartet. He is considered the principal architect of the classical style of music and exerted influence on composers such as Mozart, his student Ludwig van Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. Over his career, Haydn composed over 100 symphonies, including his famous Surprise Symphony (No. 94) and the London Symphonies. He also wrote numerous string quartets and other chamber music, operas, and sacred works.

Haydn returned to Vienna in 1795 and took up his former position with the Esterházys part-time. By this time, he had become a public figure in Vienna, frequently appearing before the public. Haydn died at the age of 77 on 31 May 1809.

Franz Schubert

Schubert was born on January 31, 1797, in Himmelpfortgrund, near Vienna, Archduchy of Austria, and died on November 19, 1828, in Vienna, aged 31. Schubert was the fourth surviving son of Franz Theodor and Elisabeth Schubert. Schubert received his music education foundation from his father and his eldest brother, playing the viola and the organ and studying music theory under the instruction of a parish church organist.

Schubert enrolled at the Stadtkonvikt, which trained young vocalists so they could one day sing at the chapel of the Imperial Court, and in 1808 he earned a scholarship that awarded him a spot in the court's chapel choir. His educators at the Stadtkonvikt included Wenzel Ruzicka, the imperial court organist, and, later, the esteemed composer Antonio Salieri, who lauded Schubert as a musical genius. Schubert played the violin in the students' orchestra, was quickly promoted to leader, and conducted in Ruzicka's absence. He also attended choir practice and, with his fellow pupils, cultivated chamber music and piano playing.

In 1812, Schubert's voice broke, forcing him to leave the college, though he did continue his instruction with Antonio Salieri for three more years. In 1814, under pressure from his family, Schubert enrolled at a teacher's training college in Vienna and took a job as an assistant at his father's school. Schubert worked as a schoolmaster for the next four years but continued to compose music. In fact, between 1813 and 1815, Schubert proved to be a prolific songwriter. By 1814, the young composer had written a number of piano pieces, and had produced string quartets, a symphony, and a three-act opera.

Over the next year, his output included two additional symphonies and two of his first Lieder, "Gretchen am Spinnrade" and "Erlkönig." Schubert is largely credited with creating the German Lied. Boosted by a wealth of late 18th-century lyric poetry and the development of the piano, Schubert tapped the poetry of giants like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, showing the world the possibility of representing their works in musical form.

In 1818, Schubert, who had not only found a welcome audience for his music but had grown tired of teaching, left education to pursue music full-time. His decision was sparked in part by the first public performance of one of his works, the "Italian Overture in C Major," on March 1, 1818, in Vienna.

The decision to leave school teaching seems to have ushered in a new wave of creativity in the young composer. That summer, he completed a string of material, including piano duets "Variations on a French Song in E minor" and the "Sonata in B-Flat Major," as well as several dances and songs.

That same year, Schubert returned to Vienna and composed the operetta "Die Zwillingsbrüder (The Twin Brothers), which was performed in June 1820 and met with some success. Schubert's musical output also included the score for the play "Die Zauberharfe" (The Magic Harp), which debuted in August 1820.

The resulting performances, as well as Schubert's other pieces, greatly expanded his popularity and appeal. He also showed himself to be a visionary. His composition "Quartettsatz [Quartet-Movement] in C minor" helped spark a wave of string quartets that would dominate the music scene later in the decade.

In 1826, Schubert applied for the job of deputy musical director at the Stadtkonvikt. While certainly a top candidate, he failed to land the job. Still, his fortunes during this period began to improve. His impressive musical output continued, and his popularity in Vienna increased. He was even in negotiations with four different publishers.

His work during this time included the "String Quartet in G Major" and the "Piano Sonata in G Major." In 1827, no doubt influenced by the passing of Ludwig van Beethoven and his impressive musical legacy, Schubert channeled a bit of the late composer and created a string of pieces. This work included the first 12 songs of the "Winterreise," as well as the "Piano Sonata in C Minor" and two piano solos, "Impromptus" and "Moments Musicaux."

In 1828, the last year of his life, Schubert, though obviously ill, stayed committed to his craft. It was during this time that he produced what is quite possibly his greatest piano duet, "Fantasy in F Minor." His other work from this time included the "Great Symphony," the cantata "Mirjam's Siegesgesang," and his last three piano sonatas, in C Minor, A Major, and B-flat Major. In addition, Schubert finished "String Quintet in C Major," considered by musical historians to be the classical era's final piece.

Oddly enough, Schubert's first and final public concert took place on March 26, 1828, and it proved successful enough that it allowed the great composer to finally buy himself a piano. Exhausted, and with his health continuing to deteriorate, Schubert moved in with his brother, Ferdinand. He died on November 19, 1828, in Vienna, Austria.

Johann Strauss II

Strauss II is best known for his waltzes, earning him the nickname "The Waltz King". He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. Some of his most famous works include "The Blue Danube", "Kaiser-Walzer" (Emperor Waltz), "Tales from the Vienna Woods", "Frühlingsstimmen", and the "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka".

Despite his father being a composer, Strauss I did not want his son to pursue a musical career and instead helped him find work as a bank clerk. However, Strauss II studied the violin in secret with the help of his father's first violinist, Franz Amon. When Strauss I abandoned his family for his mistress, Emilie Trampusch, Strauss II was finally able to focus on a career in composition with the support of his mother.

Strauss II made his debut at Dommayer's Casino in Hietzing, a suburb of Vienna, in October 1844, performing some of his first works, including the waltzes "Sinngedichte", Op. 1 and "Gunstwerber", Op. 4, and the polka "Herzenslust", Op. 3. He received unanimous praise from critics and the press for his performances.

In 1848, Vienna was rocked by revolution, and Strauss II sided with the revolutionaries, which negatively impacted his career. The Austrian royalty denied him the coveted position of KK Hofballmusikdirektor, and he was arrested for publicly playing "La Marseillaise", although he was later acquitted. When his father died in 1849, Strauss II combined their orchestras and continued touring. He also composed several patriotic marches dedicated to the Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef I, likely to ingratiate himself with the new monarch.

Strauss II eventually surpassed his father in fame and became one of the most popular waltz composers of his era. He toured extensively with his orchestra throughout Austria, Poland, and Germany. He applied for the position of KK Hofballmusikdirektor several times and was finally granted the role in 1863.

In addition to his musical career, Strauss II had a complex personal life. He married three times, first to singer Henrietta Treffz in 1862, then to actress Angelika Dittrich six weeks after Treffz's death in 1878. His third marriage was to Adele Deutsch in 1887, after changing his religion and nationality to obtain a divorce from Dittrich. Strauss II suffered from various health issues throughout his life, including hypochondria, several phobias, and bronchial catarrh. He died in Vienna on 3 June 1899, aged 73, while still composing his ballet Aschenbrödel.

Ludwig van Beethoven

Beethoven showed early signs of musical talent, and his father began teaching him music rigorously and harshly. He studied the violin and clavier with his father and took additional lessons from local organists. Despite his father's harsh methods, Beethoven was a prodigiously talented musician from a young age. He gave his first public recital in 1778 at the age of six or seven.

In 1781, Beethoven began studying music full-time with Christian Gottlob Neefe, the Court Organist. At the age of 12, he published his first composition, a set of piano variations. In 1784, Beethoven was appointed Assistant Court Organist, with a modest salary. He also played the viola in the theatre orchestra and had several wealthy pupils, including the children of the widow of the chancellor, Joseph von Breuning.

In 1787, Beethoven travelled to Vienna, where he may have met Mozart, who was reportedly impressed by his playing. However, he soon returned to Bonn after learning of his mother's illness. In 1790, Beethoven composed a musical memorial for the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, which was rediscovered over a century later and is now considered his earliest masterpiece.

In 1792, Beethoven left Bonn for Vienna, where he studied with Joseph Haydn and other eminent musicians. He quickly established himself as a virtuoso pianist and gained several patrons among the Viennese aristocracy. In 1795, he made his public debut in Vienna, performing one of his early piano concertos. He also published his first set of piano trios, which were a critical and financial success.

Beethoven's early period, during which he honed his craft, is typically considered to have lasted until 1802. During this time, he composed his first major orchestral work, the First Symphony, which premiered in 1800, and his first set of string quartets, published in 1801. Despite his advancing deafness, he continued to conduct and compose, premiering his Third and Fifth Symphonies in 1804 and 1808, respectively.

Beethoven's middle period, from 1802 to around 1812, is characterised by an individual development from the styles of Haydn and Mozart. This period includes many original works composed on a grand scale, such as the Third Symphony ("Eroica"), the "Waldstein" and "Appassionata" piano sonatas, and the opera "Fidelio".

Beethoven's late period, from 1812 to 1827, saw him extend his innovations in musical form and expression. During this time, he composed his final works, including later symphonies, mature chamber music, and the late piano sonatas. His most famous work, the Ninth Symphony, was completed in 1824 and remains his most towering achievement. It combines the worlds of vocal and instrumental music in a manner never before attempted.

Beethoven's personal life was marked by a struggle against encroaching deafness. He began to lose his hearing around 1798, and by 1815, he was almost completely deaf. Despite this, he continued to compose well into his later years, and many of his most famous pieces were written while he was partially or totally deaf. Beethoven died in 1827 at the age of 56.

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