Franz Schubert, Austrian composer, 1797-1828

The Austrian composer died at 31 but was extremely prolific during his lifetime. His output consists of over 600 secular vocal works (mainly Lieder), 7 complete symphonies, sacred music, operas, incidental music and a large body of chamber and piano music. Appreciation of his music while he was alive was limited to a relatively small circle of admirers in Vienna, but interest in his work increased significantly in the decades following his death. Mendelssohn, Schumann, Liszt, Brahms and other 19th-century composers discovered and championed his works. Today, Schubert is ranked among the greatest composers of the late Classical era and early Romantic era and is one of the most frequently performed composers of the early nineteenth century.