Although no longer observed, people used to celebrate their name days—that is, the day in the ecclesiastical calendar given to the saint after whom Christians were named—as a sort of second birthday. Written for the name day of his friend Josef von Koller on March 19, 1820, Schubert's Namenstagslied (Name Day Song) (D. 695) is a cheerfully celebratory work with a light frosting of sentimentality that sets off to best effect the inconsequential verses of Schubert's friend Albert Stadler. While one could hardly call it great or even more than merely passable Schubert, if nothing else, Namenstagslied demonstrates Schubert's deep affection for his friends and sheds light on the mood of his all-important close social circle.

© All Music Guide