ABSTRACT
Schubert's prolific output of songs includes several that deal with the subject of death and the supernatural. He also made it clear that such musical writing was a source of the sublime: When the harmony and modulation are learned and mysterious, when the ear is unable to anticipate the transitions from chord to chord, and from key to key, if the melody and measure are grave, the effect will be sublime. Schubert's prolific output of songs includes several that deal with the subject of death and the supernatural. Although they share some common features, ombra lacks the sense of improvisation that is the principal defining feature of 'fantasia'. The preponderance of flat minor keys for this type of music is significant. Rita Steblin has demonstrated the psychological association of increasing sombreness by adding more flats to the key signature.
