PROGRAM NOTES
Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828) was born into a humble but hard working family in Vienna. Schubert’s early musical instruction came from his father, who was a talented amateur, on violin and from his eldest brother, Ignaz, on the piano. By the age of nine he had surpassed both of them and professionals were sought for him thereafter. In 1808, he was accepted as a choirboy in the imperial court chapel, which included admission to the Imperial and Royal City College, where he studied theory and composition with Anton Salieri.
By age thirteen, Schubert had begun to compose. His early works included piano pieces, string quartets, overtures for the school orchestra, which he sometimes conducted himself, and lieder for which he was to reach an artistic height attained by no composer before him nor few since. His first mature work, his First Symphony in D, appeared at age fourteen.
Schlachtlied , opus 151, was composed in 1827 for a cappella eight-part male chorus. It was the closing piece on the only concert consisting solely of Schubert’s works during his lifetime.
Jan Zubeck earned degrees from Kansas State University, Indiana University and the University of Texas at Austin. He has both public school (grades 6 – 12) and college teaching experience. His interest in trombone performance has led him to organize trombone choirs in all three colleges where he has taught. In addition, K.I.T.E.(Kansas Invitational Trombone Ensemble) was organized by Dr. Zubeck in 1988 and is still active today. He also continues to perform as a soloist and as a member of the El Paso Brass Quintet.
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