Schubert in the salons of Vienna’s High Society
It was a politically troubled and reactionary time. Napoleonic wars were raging in Europe.
Society gathered evening hours in closed societies in members’ homes, also known as salons. They discussed politics and it was exceedingly popular to invite musicians as entertainment.
Schubert was introduced in the bourgeois social life in 1820 and became an obvious focal point. In these musical gatherings were often performed with Schubert himself at the piano. The audience could listen to his songs, string ensembles and piano pieces. When it was time to dance, he played and improvised music. If he felt that a phrase or melody was successful, he repeated it to remember it. The Schubertiad hereby was established as a concept among Vienna’s cultural and bourgeois elite.
