228 years ago today, Franz Schubert was born—a musical prodigy who struggled with humility and reserve throughout his life. Small, round-faced, and bespectacled, he may have lacked outward charisma, but his music continues to shine.

Schubert’s works are deeply human—listening to them feels like standing behind him, watching his thoughts unfold. His friend Eduard von Bauernfeld described him as “honest, sincere, and loyal,” yet Schubert was also taciturn, sometimes stubborn, and too shy to assert himself in social circles.

Born into poverty as the son of a schoolteacher and a former cook, he was denied the social rise that others enjoyed. His life was defined by devotion to art, but also by inner struggles. In Vienna’s coffeehouses, he could be cheerful and lively, yet the shadows of loneliness and doubt were never far away. Despite his short life, he left behind over 1,500 compositions—including more than 600 songs, symphonies, chamber music, and major piano works. He often wrote at a breathtaking pace, sometimes completing songs in just a few hours. Yet success eluded him. Schubert struggled with financial difficulties throughout his life and remained largely unknown to the public.

Perhaps it was his relentless creative drive that led so many of his works to remain unfinished. His most famous incomplete composition is the “Unfinished” Symphony in B minor (D 759), which he began in 1822 but left with only two completed movements.

Perhaps this constant inner struggle also led him to drink. While it was customary in Vienna to dilute wine with water, Schubert refused—an indication of his excessive drinking habits. His friends saw this as a dark side of his character, one that made him increasingly melancholic and withdrawn in his final years.

He died at only 31 years old, yet his music lives on forever. Today, Schubert is regarded as one of the first true Romantic composers and the master of the art song.

 B.