however, that Rossini lived forty years longer than the great song writer.

Donizetti was an Italian opera composer. One of his well-known operas was Lucia di Lammermoor. He was born in 1797, just as Schubert was.

Franz's father was a schoolmaster, and so was Franz himself for three years.

He taught the little children of Vienna their A-B-C's, and how to do sums. Of course, he helped them to learn to read.

Sometimes we find it quite hard to take one piano lesson or violin lesson a week.

But from the time when Franz Schubert was a very little boy he had lessons every week for violin, voice, and piano.

A little later he began to study harmony with a very famous man who knew Mozart. His name was ANTONIO SALIERI.

ANTONIO SALIERI.

With so many lessons and with school work just as we have it, Franz must have been a very busy boy.

He was quite poor and often very hungry; but in spite of that he was always good natured and full of fun.

At eleven years of age he became a singer in the chapel of the Emperor. It was here that Salieri was director.

Franz sang in the choir until he was nearly seventeen. Then he became a schoolmaster, because, of course, he had to earn his living.

Wherever he was Franz was thinking music and composing it. Once he wrote a song called The Serenade at a table outside an inn.

An artist has made a picture of this.

SCHUBERT WRITING "THE SERENADE."

Once Schubert was seen by his boyhood friends busily writing a new song. So quick did he write that the ink was hardly dry on one sheet before the next one was done. He was writing the music to a beautiful fairy poem by the great German poet Goethe. The poem is called The Erl-King, and tells how the fairy Erl-King chases a father who is rushing on horseback with his dying child in his arms. Finally, just as the father reaches his courtyard the child dies. It is a beautiful song sung by the greatest singers.

Goethe, the great poet, is not known to have met Schubert. He paid little attention to his music.

Here is his picture.

JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE.

Sometime you will learn about Joseph Haydn, who died in Vienna when little Franz was twelve years old. Papa Haydn, as he was called, was music master in a famous family called the Esterhazys.

Let us put a picture of Joseph Haydn here just to remember that he was an old man of seventy-seven when little Franz was a boy of twelve.

JOSEPH HAYDN.

Well, Franz Schubert also lived for a time with the Esterhazy family. He was piano teacher to the children of Count Johann. Franz was then twenty-one years old.

In what year was he twenty-one?

A good friend of Schubert's was Michael Vogl. He was a famous singer, who did all he could to make Schubert's songs known.

They took little vacation trips together and were good companions. When you read more about this singer's friendship for Franz Schubert you will like him for being so kind to one