Franz Schubert's father was a school teacher, and everyone int he Schubert family enjoyed and played music. Franz received music lessons from his father and his older brothers. As a child, he attended a boychoir school where he sang in the choir and played violin in the orchestra. He began to compose while he was a student. The boychoir school gave FRanz an excellent musical education. After graduation at age 17, he taught music at the same school where his father taught. He now began to spend almost all of his nights composing. He wrote rapidly, not caring whether or not his music would every be performed. After two years, he left this teaching position and moved in with friens to devote nearly all of his time to composing. He had virtually no income and began neglecting his health by eating poorly and sleeping very little.

Eventually, Schubert realized he needed a steady source of income. In 1818 (age 21), he took a job as music teacher at the summer home of Count Esterhazy-the same count who supported Franz Joseph Haydn. Here Schubert made many influential friends and met many imporant court musicians and composers who could have been helpful in getting his music performed. But he was unable to develop these friendships and most of his music remained unperformed outside the Esterhazy palace. Count Esterhazy offered him the post of court organist, but Schubert declined because he did not like the schedule. He resigned his position with the count after just two years.

By age 23, he had written over 500 musical works, but only two had ever been performed in public. For years he had spent his mornings composing, his afternoons with friends, and his nights partying. He was always short of money, and lived in terrible conditions. His health began to fail. In March of 1828, friends put together a concert devoted exclusively to Schubert's music. It was well received by the audience and critics;his friends told him success as near. Unfortuanately, he died eight months later at the age of 31. Ten years after Schubert's death, another composer, Robert Schumann, began studying Schubert's music and organized performances of his orchestral music. The performances were very successful and created tremendous interest in Schubert's music. One of his most famous works is the Unfinished Symphony, ( to hear, go to the Visual and Audio page) also known as the Symphony NO. 8. It became known as the Unfinished Symphony because it was unfinished at the time of his death. It was not premiered until 50 years after his death. Other symphonies written by Schubert were discovered and perfored much later.

Writing music was Franz Schubert's only goal in life. He had no business sense and lived in poverty for most of his adult life. He composed rapidly and did not care about the value of his music or whether or not it would ever be performed.