A Cheerful Evening in Vienna; Who Are They?

  “January 13, 1827. We went to the “Anker,” where Spaun, Enderes, Gahy and Schober had foregathered, and also Derffel . . . . After we had been there for a long time and at last considered it time to break up, we went on this glorious moonlight night to Bogner’s coffee house, where we danced and engaged in all manner of childish pranks. From there we danced over to the Stock-am-Eisen Square round the Stefan’s Cathedral, which we gazed at. Then into the Goldschmiedgasse and made out demonstration at that coffee house, also at the Peter and the coffee house on the Graben. Then we went to Geringeres coffee house in the Kohlmarkt, where we would push Spaun in, as he was always averse to late coffee house going. But to our surprise he went in as meekly as a lamb when we pushed him. We smoked and talked merrily. Finally we parted and went home at 12:30.” (Franz von Hartmann’s Diary)

   Who are the Schuberteans? A group of  companions of what was still a young Franz in Vienna. He wrote a lot of music during those years, composed a new song in instances—about six hundred altogether. He died at the age of 31.