A Gentle Stroll in the Classical Garden with Franz Schubert, Part 1 of 2

Franz Peter Schubert was born in 1797 in what in today the Himmelpfortgrund area of Vienna, Austria. By the age of 16, Schubert had already composed an abundance of music, including string quartets and symphonic music. Schubert is considered to have bridged Classicism and Romanticism, and is rightly lauded as outstanding representative of early Romanticism also. In today’s program, we would like to share with you one of the most famous chamber music works from Schubert – the first movement of String Quartet No.13 in A Minor, “Rosamunde.” The first movement of “Rosamunde,” as scored for string quartet, sets off with a heart-pulling theme. The violins, viola and cello from a rich and soft timbre, with emotional fluctuations. The descriptive and soothing music narrates the first melancholy, then uplifting story of princess Rosamunde.