What was Schubert's circle?

To frame this chapter by means of such an apparently straightforward question may seem simplistic. If we take it seriously, however, it leads to an approach to Schubert's immediate context considerably different than the catalogues of Schubert's friends, their idiosyncrasies, and their accomplishments that have been a mainstay of Schubert scholarship. Both idiosyncrasies and accomplishments, admittedly, were considerable, and such anecdotes can provide entertaining reading as well as accurate information; however, not only are several accounts of this type already available, but a focus on the who of Schubert's circle also implies that the nature of that group is self-evident.

A moment's reflection suggests otherwise: why should Schubert have been associated from the earliest studies and accounts with a circle of friends, to the extent that “Schubert's circle” (or the equivalent Schubertkreis) has achieved the status of a standard formula? “Bach's circle,” or “Mozart's,” for instance, have nothing approaching such currency in their respective fields. No one would suggest that these earlier composers had had no friends or associates, so what is it about Schubert's friends – or our perception of them – that has made them indispensable in Schubert studies, to the extent that Newman Flower, whose 1928 biography focused perhaps more single-mindedly on the circle than any other, could write: “the passion for friendship lived in Schubert. He could not exist without friends”?