Schubert’s dance pieces are truly functional music for everyday use. As far as the development of the genre isconcerned, they are immediate precursors of the Viennese waltzes of Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauß the Elder. Schubert never danced, despite his otherwise genial and sociable nature, but he was a quite indefatigable improviser of dance music, only too happy to play for his friends. The best of these ad hoc melodies now form a rich collection of waltzes, ‘Deutscher’ (German dances) and Ländler (country dances).

editor: Georg Kinsky