Basic Sources
Many of these books are key ([K]), however, for want of anywhere better to put them, this section also includes the several books that reprint selections of the letters or documents on Schubert, which generally add little or nothing compared to the Documentary Biography.
| Author: | [K] Breitkopf & Härtel (various editors) | Title: | F Schuberts Werke: Kritisch durchgesehene Gesamtausgabe |
| Desc: | Breitkopf & Härtel,
Leipzig; 1884-97. (in German) Not in Kahl, though it does list the forewards. |
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| Notes: | The first attempt to produce Schubert's complete works, completed to celebrate the centenary of his birth in 1897. 41 volumes in 21 series, including critical commentary and addenda. Usually just referred to as the Gesamtausgabe. Edited by Eusebius Mandyczewsky, Johannes Brahms and others. Hard to find, as the original print run was not especially large, and most copies were taken by libraries, where they remain. Because of the lack of accessibility of the originals, and despite the NSA having already been announced, this series was reprinted in 19 volumes by Dover, New York; 1965-9. Copies of these reprints are much easier to find. | ||
| Author: | [K] Neue Schubert Ausgabe (various editors) | Title: | F Schubert: Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke |
| Desc: | Bärenteiter, Kassel;
1968 and later. (in German) Not in Hilmar, though as with Kahl and the Gesamtausgabe, forewards are listed. |
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| Notes: | New revised edition of the complete works, usually just referred to as the NSA (for Neue Schubert Ausgabe) or NGA. Edited by W. Dürr, A. Feil, C. Landon and others. | ||
| Author: | [K] Felix Braun | Title: | Schubert in Freundeskreis |
| Desc: | Insel-verlag, Leipzig,
1916. 88pp. (in German) Kahl # 1370. Hilmar 337a. |
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| Notes: | A collection of excepts from letters, diaries, etc. Frequent reprints. | ||
| Author: | [K] Peter Clive | Title: | Schubert and his world - a biographical dictionary |
| Desc: | Clarendon Press, Oxford;
1997. 260pp, plus bibliography, works list, index. 8 pages of
plates. Hilmar # 595. |
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| Notes: | A "who's who" (but not a "what's what") of Schubert's friends, influences, promoters, followers, etc. 250 pages with over 300 separate entries, the shortest being a few sentences, the longest (Schober, Schwind, Spaun, Vogl, etc.) 4 or 5 pages. Also has a chronicle of Schubert's life, the usual pictures, and a huge bibliography of referenced books and articles. Not as comprehensive as the Lexikon, but in English, and indispensible. | ||
| Author: | [K] Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Schubert: Thematic Catalogue of all his works in chronological order |
| Desc: | Dent, London; 1951. 490pp
plus 76 pages of appendices, indexes and corrections. Over 1000
incipits. Hilmar # 720. |
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| Notes: | The basic source of those 'D' numbers. Published in English as Deutsch was living in Cambridge at the time. About 550 or so pages, with a short preface and a few appendices. There are a few bars of the theme for each work (several themes for the major works, operas etc.) and a short description and/or background information. Not exactly bedtime reading, but still invaluable. Unfortunately, there has not been an English language translation of the updated ('D2') catalogue, making this edition still required for those whose German is inadequate. | ||
| Author: | [K] Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Franz Schubert: Thematisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke in chronologischer Folge |
| Desc: | Bärenreiter, Kassel,
1978. 644pp plus appendices, indexes. Over 1000 incipits. (in
German) Hilmar # 748. |
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| Notes: | New, revised and enlarged edition of the Thematic catalogue, in German only. Where the numbering differs from the original English edition (for example where modern research has allowed previously undated material to be placed), it is referred to as 'D2'. Reprinted in paperback in 1996 for the birth bicentenary, but unfortunately not updated from 1978. | ||
| Author: | Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Franz Schubert: Verzeichnis seiner Werke in chronologischer Folge |
| Desc: | Kassel, 1983. (in
German) Hilmar # 751. |
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| Notes: | The so-called 'kleine Deutsch', without incipits. | ||
| Author: | [K] Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Franz Schubert: Die Dokumente seines Lebens |
| Desc: | Georg Müller, Munich
& Leipzig, 1914. 514 pages with 1183 documents.(in German) Kahl # 1276 / 2 |
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| Notes: | This was the second book in Deutsch's projected Die Dokumente seines Lebens und Schaffens which did not quite appear as he intended. It was Deutsch's first attempt to document Schubert's life, and was subsequently superceded by the Documentary Biography. Quite hard to find: so difficult that a well known Austria Schubert scholar criticised me for listing it as he said it didn't exist ! An updated edition was issued in 1964 as part of the NSA, with further editions in 1980 and 1996, plus a Russian edition in 1978. | ||
| Author: | [K] Otto Erich Deutsch (trans. Eric Blom) | Title: | Schubert: A Documentary Biography |
| Desc: | Dent, London; 1946. (US
edition called The Schubert Reader Norton, New York,
1947). 1040 pages, including over 100 pages of appendices and
indexes. Many plates and line drawings. Hilmar # 716. |
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| Notes: | The definitive biographical source, with details of virtually all the surviving contemporary documents by, to, about or merely mentioning Schubert. Over 1000 pages with useful appendices; it does not attempt to be a 'readable' biography, but is the basic source for all later works, and is fascinating to dip into. Based upon, but more complete than, the 1914 Franz Schubert: Die Dokumente seines Lebens. Reprinted in 1977 by Da Capo. | ||
| Author: | Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Schubert: Brevier |
| Desc: | Schuster & Loeffler,
Berlin. 1905. 204pp, illustrated, facsimile.(in German). Kahl # 926. |
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| Notes: | Deutsch's first book on Schubert - a small collection of Schubert letters. | ||
| Author: | Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Franz Schubert : Briefe und Schriften |
| Desc: | Georg Müller,
Munich, 1919. 105pp, with 15 plates and 3 facsimilies. (in
German). Not in Kahl. Hilmar #693. |
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| Notes: | A much smaller book than the Dokumente, with just Schubert's writings: just 116 entries, including a few comments on manuscripts and album entries. There was a limited circulation edition published in 1914, which I've never seen. | ||
| Author: | Otto Erich Deutsch (trans. Venetia Savile) | Title: | Franz Schubert's Letters and other writings |
| Desc: | Faber & Gwyer,
London: Knopf, New York, 1928. 143pp. Foreward by Ernest Newman.
Not in Kahl, not in Hilmar. |
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| Notes: | A small book (150 small pages) with translations of the 74 known documents at the death centenary (the number has grown somewhat since). Essentially an English Language version of Briefe und Schriften, though sticking to just the letters, diary entries etc., and dropping the entries for manuscript comments, and so on. A nice period piece (the detail is completely superceded by the Documentary Biography), with comments by Deutsch or by Ernest Newman in the foreward which reveal a lack of subsequent knowledge. Not difficult to find. It also appears in a much later reprint. | ||
| Author: | [K] Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Schubert: Sein Leben in Bildern |
| Desc: | Georg Müller, Munich
& Leipzig, 1913. 617pp of pictures plus 43 pages of notes and
indexes.(in German) Kahl # 1276 / 3. |
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| Notes: | This was the third book in Deutsch's projected Die Dokumente seines Lebens und Schaffens which did not quite appear as he intended. It was only published in German, but this should present little problem even to non German readers, since it is 'just' a picture book. Over 600 pages of pictures, in sections with many familiar and unfamiliar ones, a subject index, and just 28 pages of notes on the pictures - you are expected to know why they are included! Quite hard to find, and not cheap, but well worth the effort. | ||
| Author: | [K] Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Schubert: Die Erinnerungen seiner Freunde |
| Desc: | Leipzig, 1957. (in
German) Hilmar # 731. |
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| Notes: | This contains 4 major chapters (obituaries, material collected by Luib, material collected by others and personal records and memoirs) with various appendices and indexes. Also published in translations in English and Russian. Updated edition published in 1983, and reprinted in 1996. | ||
| Author: | [K] Otto Erich Deutsch (trans. Rosamunde Ley and John Nowell) | Title: | Schubert: Memoirs by his Friends |
| Desc: | A & C Black, London;
MacMillan, New York; 1958. 501pp including glossary, indexes. 23
plates. Hilmar # 731. |
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| Notes: | This contains 4 major chapters (obituaries, material collected by Luib, material collected by others and personal records and memoirs) with various appendices and indexes. Just over 500 pages, with many documents containing the quotes that crop up in all the other biographies, and lots of illustrations. Reissued for the 1997 bicentenary. English language version of Schubert: Die Erinnerungen seiner Freunde | ||
| Author: | Otto Erich Deutsch | Title: | Schubert: Zeugnisse seiner Zeitgenossen |
| Desc: | Fischer Bücherei,
Frankfurt, 1964. 211pp plus index. (in German) Hilmar # |
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| Notes: | A selection of memoirs and other posthumous documents about Schubert from Schubert: Die Erinnerungen seiner Freunde. | ||
| Author: | Anton Diabelli & Comp | Title: | Thematisches Verzeichniss im druck erschienener Compositionen von Franz Schubert |
| Desc: | Diabelli, Vienna, n.d.
[1851]. 49pp, many incipits. (in German) Kahl # 102 |
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| Notes: | The first Schubert thematic catalogue, engraved by Diabelli & Comp. Works are quoted in Opus number order, with incipit, price and plate number (or publisher, if not from Diabelli). After the 160 opus numbers (at the date of puplication), come Schwanengesang, the 50 books of the Nachlass, and a 'selection of beloved songs by Franz Schubert' for contralto or bass issued by Diabelli. | ||
| Author: | [K] Walther Dürr and Andreas Krause | Title: | Schubert Handbuch |
| Desc: | Bärenreiter/Metzler,
Kassel/Stuttgart 1997. 684pp, few illustrations, many musical
examples, sectional bibliographies.(in German) Hilmar # |
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| Notes: | An outstanding compendium of Schubert's life, background, method of composition, reception and works, written by specialist contributors. | ||
| Author: | László Fábián | Title: | Wenn Schubert ein Tagebuch geführt hätte |
| Desc: | Juncker, Stuttgart. 1967.
264pp, few musical examples. (in German) Hilmar # 1021. |
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| Notes: | Highlights from the documents by or about Schubert. Reprinted from the Hungarian of 1962. | ||
| Author: | Felix Günther | Title: | Mein Freund Schubert |
| Desc: | Rufu, Hamburg. 1928.
172pp, illustrated. (in German) Kahl # 2279. |
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| Notes: | A centenary pot-pourri : letters, poems articles, etc. | ||
| Author: | *** Ernst Hilmar | Title: | Verzeichnis des Schubert-Handschriften in der Musiksammlung der Wiener Stadt und Landesbibliothek ('Catalogus Musicus' VIII) |
| Desc: | Kassel 1978. (in
German) Hilmar # 1552 |
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| Notes: | Catalog of Schubert Manuscripts in the Vienna city library. | ||
| Author: | [K] Ernst Hilmar with Werner Bodendorf | Title: | Baustine zu einer neuen Schubert-Bibliographie vornehmlich der Schriften von 1929 bis 2000 |
| Desc: | Hans Schneider, Tutzing, 2000. Appeared in Schubert durch die Brille #25, with additions and corrections in subsequent issues. | ||
| Notes: | A bibliography of approx. 4000 Schubert books and articles for the period from 1929-2000, i.e. deliberately continuing from where Kahl left off. Also includes a number of older items missed by Kahl. There is a sightly longer description in the write up of Kahl. | ||
| Author: | [K] Ernst Hilmar and Margret Jestremski | Title: | Schubert Lexikon |
| Desc: | Akademische
Druck-und Verlagsanstalt, Graz; 1997. ISBN 3-201-01655-9. 534pp.
(in German) Hilmar # 1623. |
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| Notes: | A "who's who" and "what's what" for Schubert. Over 500 pages of articles by many Schubert scholars. Each article includes an extensive bibliography. Also has a chronicle of Schubert's life, and works, and a list of opus numbers, but no pictures, or examples. Much more comprehensive than Clive's book, but not very 'user friendly' - a very small font is used, and text is difficult to read because of the overuse of abbreviations. | ||
| Author: | [K] Willi Kahl | Title: | Verzeichnis des Schrifttums über Franz Schubert 1828-1928 |
| Desc: | Bosse Verlag, Regensburg,
1938. 264pp, including 4 appendices. (in German) Hilmar # 1873. |
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| Notes: | A bibliography of Schubert books and articles. Covers the period from 1828 to 1928 (and thus does not include lifetime references). Has 3122 entries by year with useful cross indices, although the bibliographical information supplied is quite basic. There is a longer description in the SIUK bibliography articles section. | ||
| Author: | Rudolf Klein | Title: | Schubertstätten |
| Desc: | Elisabeth Lafite, Vienna,
1972. ISBN 3-85151-014-3. 158pp, many illustrations. (in German) Hilmar # 1951. |
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| Notes: | A topographical guide to Schubert's life. 130 pages about the places that Schubert lived in, stayed in or visited. Many illustrations, and appendices including a list of drinking establishments he frequented, and a list of addresses. Somewhat disappointing. Recently reprinted. | ||
| Author: | Gustav Nottebohm | Title: | Thematisches Verzeichnis der im Druck erschienenen Werke von Franz Schubert |
| Desc: | Friedrich Schreiber,
Vienna, 1874. 288pp, many incipits and appendices. Kahl # 343 |
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| Notes: | Schubert Thematic catalogue. The standard reference until superceded by Deutsch. There is a more detailed review in the SIUK bibliography artcles. | ||
| Author: | Walter Obermaier / Paul Catty (editors) | Title: | Schubert Letter to his friends |
| Desc: | Doblinger, Vienna, 1979.
ISBN 3-900035-57-1. 32pp plus 16pp facsimilie. Hilmar # 2642. |
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| Notes: | A facsimile of the 16 page letter from Schubert to various friends (No. 134 in the Documents) from Zseliz on 8th September 1818. Has the German original and English translation, with notes and a brief personalia. | ||
| Author: | Georg Schünemann | Title: | Errinnerungen an Schubert: Joseph von Spauns Erste Lebenbeschreibung |
| Desc: | Atlantis, Berlin, 1936.
125pp, 2 tipped in plates, 9 other illustrations. (in German) Hilmar # 3156 |
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| Notes: | The first publication of the full text of Joseph von Spaun's 1829 obituary notice for Schubert. A shorter version edited by Anton Ottenwalt was published in Linz in 1829. The full text was published in an English translation by Deutsch in his Memoirs. Also includes an introductory essay by Schünemann, and notes on Spaun's notice. | ||
| Author: | Rita Steblin | Title: | Ein unbekanntes frühes Schubert-Portrât ? |
| Desc: | Schneider, Tutzing, 1992.
ISBN 3 7952 0743 6. 52pp. Illustrated. (in German) Hilmar # 3304. |
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| Notes: | An IFSI publication, of just 52 pages, which contains a long essay by Steblin that presents the evidence that the portrait of a young man by Abel (now on show at the Vienna Kunsthistorisches Museum), is indeed of Schubert. | ||
| Author: | Dr. Roland Tenschert | Title: | Du Holde Kunst Ein kleiner Schubertspiegel |
| Desc: | Wilhelm Frick, Vienna,
1943. 80pp, 6 colour plates, personalia. (in German) Hilmar # 3447. |
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| Notes: | Highlights from the documents by or about Schubert. | ||
| Author: | Prof. Dr. Carl Toldt and Dr. Augustin Weisbach | Title: | Bericht über die Untersuchung an den Gebeinen Franz Schubert's gelegentlich der Uebertragung derselben von Währinger nach dem Central-Friedhofe |
| Desc: | Mittheilungen der
Anthropologischen Gesselschaft, Vienna, 1888. 3 pages, 4 figures,
one table. (in German) Kahl # 499. |
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| Notes: | Report of the examination of the remains of Schubert undertaken during the 1888 exhumation and reburial. The full title is: Bericht über die am 22 September 1888 vorgenommene Untersuchung an den Gebeinen Franz Schubert's gelegentlich der Uebertragung derselben von dem Währinger Orts-Friedhofe nach dem Central-Friedhofe der Stadt Wien. With various measurements, and 4 pictures of Schubert's skull. | ||
| Author: | *** [K] Till Gerrit Waidelich | Title: | Franz Schubert Dokumente 1817-1830 |
| Desc: | Schneider, Tutzing 1993.
(in German) Hilmar # 3571. |
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| Notes: | Another IFSI publication, which I've not seen, with 60 previously unknown documents. | ||
| Author: | Heinrich Werlé | Title: | Franz Schubert in seinen Briefen und Aufzeichnungen |
| Desc: | Hirzel, Leipzig, 1955.
238pp, frontispiece, 8 facsimiles. (in German) Hilmar # 3676. |
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| Notes: | Collection of Schubert letters and other documents, in German | ||