oems. The strictly strophic treatment is used, or,
in other words, the repetition of the melody of the first stanza in all
the succeeding ones. The chasm between this and the varied form of the
artistic modern song is deep and wide, yet it was overleaped in a single
swift bound by the remarkable genius of Franz Schubert, who, though his
compositions were many and matchless of their kind, died all too young;
for, as the inscription on his tombstone pathetically has it, he was
"rich in what he gave, richer in what he promised."

II.

The great masters of the last century tried their hands in the domain
of song with only comparative success, partly because they did not fully
realize the nature of this form of art, partly because they could
not limit the sweep of the creative power within such narrow limits.
Schubert was a revelation to his countrymen in his musical treatment
of subjective passion, in his instinctive command over condensed,
epigrammatic expression. This rich and gifted life, however quiet in its
exterior facts, was great in its creative and spiritual manifestation.
Born at Vienna of humble parents, January 31, 1797, the early life of
Franz Schubert was commonplace in the extreme, the most interesting
feature being the extraordinary development of his genius. At the age of
fourteen he had made himself a master of counterpoint and harmony, and
composed a large mass of chamber-music and works for the piano. His
poverty was such that he was oftentimes unable to obtain the music-paper
with which to fasten the immortal thoughts that thronged through his
brain. It was two years later that his special creative function found
exercise in the production of the two great songs, the "Erl-King" and
the "Serenade," the former of which proved the source of most of the
fame and money emolument he enjoyed during life. It is hardly needful to
speak of the power and beauty of this composition, the weird sweetness
of its melodies, the dramatic contrasts, the wealth of color and
shading in its varying phrases, the subtilty of the accompaniment, which
elaborates the spirit of the song itself. The piece was composed in
less than an hour. One of Schubert's intimates tells us that he left him
reading Goethe's great poem for the first time. He instantly conceived
and arranged the melody, and when the friend returned after a short
absence Schubert was rapidly noting the music from his head on paper.
When the song was finished he r