Schubert’s unique inaction and repetition
“Repetitio est mater studiorum” (repetition is the mother of learning), so goes the Latin adage. Repetition in music, however, is a horse of a different color. Repeated phrases, even entire sections, are common and have special significance. Schubert was certainly no stranger to repetition, and Beethoven was known for stating everything three times. But in Schubert’s little Hungarian Melody, it is not sections or phrases that are repeated but single notes — a different matter altogether.