Writing Under the Influence?: Salieri and Schubert's Early Opinion of Beethoven

A study is presented that explores the larger context of 19-year-old Franz Schubert's June 16, 1816, journal entry in order to see if it really does indicate an "early repudiation" of Ludwig von Beethoven, to suggest other possible interpretations of a very critical reference in the entry to Beethoven, and to ponder why the idea of early rejection has proved so attractive and therefore so often repeated. Schubert's relationship with Antonio Salieri is also examined. While Schubert's long relationship with Salieri was warm, even if it became strained over certain aesthetic issues, Beethoven, as with his other teachers, proved the more recalcitrant student and difficult colleague. Schubert's diary entry is taken out of context in order to assert a larger argument for which there is really no other credible support.