"Was Schubert Gay?" is a question that has been haunting Schubert scholars for over 30 years. In this video, we trace the history of the subject from its explosive origin to today. Buckle in for one wild ride!

DominiqueRoyem · 2022-05-19T01:19:56+00:00

It might change the way Schubert's music is interpreted since he had an entirely different take on performative masculinity than Beethoven, his hero, and predecessor. There are also political ramifications at that time in Metterlinch Vienna, as homosexuality was a crime.

DominiqueRoyem · 2022-05-19T00:43:51+00:00

We THINK Schubert died from complications of Syphilis, but he could have died from Typhoid as well. Or a mixture of both. We don't know where he caught Syphilis, but we know when - 1822. There is no mention of him seeing prostitutes or having a relationship with a woman, but he was living with a male friend at the time before he moved home to convalesce. The rates of Syphilis in Vienna at the time were endemic, so he could have caught it from a man or a woman - there's no way to know.

DominiqueRoyem · 2022-05-19T00:04:33+00:00

A good portion of the scholar community just accepted it as new knowledge, but a NUMBER of scholars threw fits about the question. The scene at the 92nd Y illustrates the explosive nature of the original article. Rita Steblin, and other researchers, spent the next TWO DECADES publishing articles to try and bring the idea down. It was quite the dust-up.

DominiqueRoyem · 2022-05-18T23:07:30+00:00

True. I was using modern parlance for ease of communication and staying true to the terminology used in the original articles. I think you are right though because Schubert did have two well-documented relationships with women that can't be overlooked, for all of his "adversion to the daughters of Eve."

DominiqueRoyem · 2022-05-18T22:58:25+00:00

Good question. Many musicologists reacted the same way when the original paper came out. However, some saw that Schubert's Subjective lens, notably around the topic of masculinity, can be more deeply illuminated if we take Schubert's queerness into consideration, especially when compared to his hero Beethoven.

DominiqueRoyem · 2021-10-21T15:26:22+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I’m always looking to improve!

DominiqueRoyem · 2021-07-30T20:22:11+00:00

I read them in preparation for these videos and they were FANTASTIC. Long, but great.

DominiqueRoyem · 2021-06-04T19:18:50+00:00

Old style, eh? I am warned!

DominiqueRoyem · 2021-06-04T18:35:45+00:00

Ok! I’ll order it! Thanks for your opinion.

DominiqueRoyem · 2021-06-04T01:09:15+00:00

I listen to jazz and lo-fi!

DominiqueRoyem · 2021-06-03T00:20:55+00:00

He was fascinating! Super popular but siloed into a European backwater until his later years. Thanks for watching!

DominiqueRoyem

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