I, Franz Schubert by Nick Morrice

Author:Nick Morrice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: novum pro Verlag
Published: 2018-02-21T00:00:00+00:00

Moritz von Schwind

Gradually, as we got to know each other, our attachment grew into the deepest of friendships, almost more so than my friendship with Schober. Schwind was cheerful, full of the joy of living, but his mind also dwelt on serious matters. Temperamentally he was closer to me than almost anyone in our circle. Spaun wrote of him later: ‘His appearance bears witness to the healthy soul in the healthy body. He has beautiful intelligent eyes, while his liveliness and good humour prejudiced us strongly in the youth’s favour – so we welcomed him as a new member of the circle which had been formed round Schubert by Schober and others.’

And soon there was another entry into the circle: Eduard von Bauernfeld, a twenty-year-old philosophy student who would later become a successful writer of comedies for the Burgtheater. We met when Schwind brought me to a musical evening at the house of Professor Weintridt, an ex-professor of theology who had become a free-thinker. On that occasion I sang several of my most recent songs, and I believe these completely captivated young Bauernfeld. A friendship soon developed between us – and, along with Schwind, we became an almost inseparable trio.

My illness continued on and off over the winter, but by the end of February I was beginning to recover. I gave up my wig, and my head now revealed a charming cygnet’s down! It was the carnival season, so I made many appearances at balls and parties, for which I wrote waltzes and other dances. My new treatment was working wonders, and my diet, alternating between one day of panada (a sort of bread boiled to a pulp and flavoured with sugar or nutmeg) and the next of cutlets, seemed to suit me. I would drink lavish quantities of tea, take plenty of baths, and work endlessly.

In May 1824 I was well enough to accept another invitation to Zseliz, this time as resident musician and guest of Count Esterházy and his wife, so I was given decent accommodation in the castle. Their two daughters were now young ladies and did not require regular musical tuition. My main role was to enrich the musical activities of the family and their guests.

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