Franz Peter Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert, (1797-1828). Austrian composer. Schubert was the son of a schoolmaster and had music lessons from a very early age. He became a teacher himself but hated teaching and in 1816 gave up his job. For the rest of his short life he led a Bohemian existence, rarely leaving Vienna. His outstanding gifts as a melodist are apparent in all his works, which include nine symphonies (one lost and the eighth unfinished), 22 string quartets, the ‘Trout’ piano quintet, many piano compositions, and over 600 songs. He died, of typhoid fever.