Shortly after finishing the composition of the Impromptus, in late 1827, Franz Schubert's health worsened. In search of relief for his lungs, in the summer of 1828, he moved to the home of his brother Ferdinand, on the outskirts of Vienna.
His health was already very resentful, however, he was encouraged to make plans for the future and decided to perfect his musical knowledge by taking classes of harmony and composition with a famous teacher, in order to learn the technique of the fugue and counterpoint. He could only attend one class, that of November 4.
In those days, he contracted typhus. His doctor, very clever by the way, forbade him to eat (the medicine of the time killed many artists with the same method). He got even worse.
In his last days, he received almost no visits, for fear of contagion, and was accompanied only by his brother Fernando. His friends learned of his death during a friend's wedding celebration.
According to his wishes, little Franz was buried near Beethoven, in the Währing Cemetery. In 1888, the city of Vienna moved the remains of both musicians to the Central Cemetery, in what has been dubbed the "Pantheon of musicians."
With a feeling of regret for the loss of masterpieces caused by his early death, Franz's epitaph reads:
"The art of music has here interred
a precious treasure,
but yet far fairer hopes"
Impromptu N ° 4 Opus 90"Here rests Franz Schubert
born on January 31, 1797
died on November 19, 1828
at the age of 31"
The last of impromptus of Opus 90 is an Allegretto in A-flat minor/major, with an A-B-A form. At the start, we can hear a cascading sixteenth notes arpeggios. Later, Schubert inserts a delightfully swinging melody into the upper voice of the left hand. Section B is more lyrical, at 2:20.
The rendition is by the South Korean pianist, Dong-Min Lim.
