In his short life, Schubert wrote more than 600 songs, which were to become the foundation of the German lieder tradition. Now they are a mainstay of every lieder singer's repertoire and provide a constant source of surprises and delights for each generation of music lovers. This companion offers a survey of every song, detailing all the alternative versions and the abandoned torsos. English translations of all the texts are provided, together with discussions of the musical structures and guides to interpretation. Appendices explore the authors of Schubert's texts and tease out the thematic threads that run through his output and bind it into a creative unity.