ABSTRACT
The extreme disruption of almost abnormally serene moods by the introduction of violent contrasts as found in the later piano and chamber works of Schubert might seem an anomaly in an otherwise relatively evenly balanced instrumental style. This chapter explores the ways in which that lyrical side of Schubert's art acts as an enabling element in releasing the streak of violence and distemper in the music that Macdonald identified in Schubert's instrumental writing. In his recent analysis of the evidence, Robert Winston suggested that no firm conclusions can be arrived at concerning the nature of Schubert's illness and the exact circumstances of his admission to hospital. The passages in Schubert's symphonic writing introduce in dramatic fashion a disturbing element: in the case of D 759 a grim shadow falls across the music. Schubert's intensity of mood and disruptive, even destructive, musical outbursts were not confined to his larger-scale instrumental works but can be seen equally among the more miniature' forms.
