Schouten \'skau-t 3 n\ Islands Archipelago, across the entrance to Cen- derawasih Bay of the Pacific Ocean, off the northern coast of Papua (Irian Jaya), Indonesia. The islands cover an area of 1,231 sq mi (3,188 sq km). The chief islands, Biak, Supiori, and Numfoor, are among the most densely populated areas of Papua. Another island group of the same name is located off the northeastern coast of New Guinea island; it is part of Papua New Guinea.
Schreiner Vshri-norV Olive (Emilie Albertina) (b. March 24,1855, Wittebergen, Cape Colony—d. Dec. 11, 1920, Cape Town, S.Af.) South African writer. She had no formal education but read widely, developing a powerful intellect and militantly feminist and liberal views. After work¬ ing as a governess she published (as Ralph Iron) the semiautobiograph- ical The Story of an African Farm (1883). The first great South African novel, it concerns a girl living on an isolated farm in the veld who struggles to attain independence in the face of rigid Boer social conven¬ tions. Her later works include Trooper Peter Halkett of Mashonaland (1897), attacking Cecil Rhodes, and Woman and Labour (1911), an acclaimed bible of the women’s movement.
Schroder Vshrce-dorN, Gerhard (b. April 7, 1944, Mossenberg, near Detmold, Ger.) Chancellor of Germany (1998-2005). In his youth he joined the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Young Socialists, and, as a law student at Gottingen, he participated in the student protests of 1968. A member of the SPD, he served in the Bundestag (1980-86) and in 1990 succeeded to the premiership of the state of Lower Saxony. His election as federal chancellor in 1998 ended 16 years of conservative rule under Helmut Kohl. Despite continuing high unemployment in Germany, Schroder led his Social Democratic-Green coalition to victory in 2002, and he was reelected chancellor. As the country’s economy worsened, he introduced in 2003 a major reform program that proved highly unpopu¬ lar, and the following year he stepped down as SDP leader. In 2005 the SDP lost the general election, and Schroder was succeeded by Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union.
Schroder-Devrient Vshrce-dor-dov-re-'a", -dev-'rent\, Wilhelmine (b. Dec. 6, 1804, Hamburg—d. Jan. 26, 1860, Coburg, Saxe-Coburg- Gotha) German soprano. Daughter of a baritone, she achieved interna¬ tional renown with her 1822 performance as Ludwig van Beethoven’s Leonora. Though her voice showed signs of wear by her 30s, she was
known for her dramatic prowess—she genuinely cried onstage and was called the “Queen of Tears”—and she created three early Wagnerian (see Richard Wagner) roles: Adriano ( Rienzi , 1842), Senta ( The Flying Dutch¬ man, 1843), and Venus ( Tannhauser , 1845).
Schrodinger Vshrce-dig-orV, Erwin (b. Aug. 12, 1887, Vienna, Austria—d. Jan. 4, 1961, Vienna) Austrian physicist. He taught physics in Zurich (1921-27) and Berlin (1927-33), then left Germany, objecting to the persecution of Jews. He settled in Ireland, where he joined the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (1940-56). He made fundamental contributions to quantum mechanics, and he shared a 1933 Nobel Prize with P.A.M. Dirac for his development in 1926 of the wave equation now called the Schrodinger equation. In addition to his scientific research, he made contributions to philosophy and the history of science; his books include What Is Life? (1944), Nature and the Greeks (1954), and My View of the World (1961).
Schrodinger \'shroe-diq-3r\ equation Fundamental equation devel¬ oped in 1926 by Erwin Schrodinger that established the mathematics of quantum mechanics. The equation determines the behaviour of the wave function that describes the wavelike properties of a subatomic system. It relates kinetic energy and potential energy to the total energy, and it is solved to find the different energy levels of the system. Schrodinger applied the equation to the hydrogen atom and predicted many of its properties with remarkable accuracy. The equation is used extensively in atomic, nuclear, and solid-state physics. See also wave-particle duality.
Schubert \'shu-,bert\, Franz (Peter) (b. Jan. 31, 1797, Himmelpfort- grund, near Vienna—d. Nov. 19, 1828, Vienna) Austrian composer. He learned violin from his schoolteacher father and piano from his brother. He joined the precursor of the Vienna Boys Choir (1808), making such quick progress that Antonio Salieri undertook to guide his training (1810— 16). At his family’s insistence, he was trained as a schoolteacher. In 1815 he wrote 2 symphonies, more than 100 songs, and 4 stage works. In 1818, seeking independence, he quit teaching at his father’s school to tutor Johann Esterhazy’s daughters. In 1819-20 he wrote the celebrated Trout Quintet and a mass. In 1821, 20 of his most popular songs were published with great success, and he wrote the three-act opera Alfonso und Estrella. Despite his first awareness of the disease (possibly syphilis) that would kill him, his amazing production continued in 1822, with the Unfinished Symphony and the Wanderer Fantasy. He was often ill during his last five years but continued his production of music, including the song cycles The Miller’s Beautiful Daughter and Winter Journey, the last three piano sonatas, and the Great Symphony. His last years were made miserable by illness, not poverty; in fact, his greatness was widely recognized. He died at 31, having produced more masterpieces by that age than almost any other composer in history. His 600 songs made the lied a serious genre and sparked its great development in subsequent decades.
Schuller Vshul-orV Gunther (Alexander) (b. Nov. 22, 1925, New York, N.Y., U.S.) U.S. composer, conductor, and educator. Son of a vio¬ linist, he trained at the Manhattan School of Music. He played French horn with the Cincinnati Orchestra from age 18 and with the Metropoli¬ tan Opera orchestra (1945-59), as well as with jazz musicians such as Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet. His “third stream” music (com¬ bining classical and jazz styles) includes compositions such as Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee (1959). He was president of the New England Conservatory of Music (1967-77) and directed the Berkshire Music Center (1974-84). A preeminent authority on jazz, he wrote the acclaimed Early Jazz (1968) and The Swing Era (1988).
Schultz \'shults\, Dutch orig. Arthur Flegenheimer (b. Aug. 6, 1902, Bronx, N.Y., U.S.—d. Oct. 23, 1935, Newark, N.J.) U.S. gangster. Schultz advanced from burglaries to bootlegging, ownership of brewer¬ ies and speakeasies, and policy rackets in the Bronx and Manhattan. His gang engaged in a number of bloody wars with rival gangs. When the murderous “Dutchman” made plans to assassinate Thomas Dewey, who had made him the target of an investigation, he himself was murdered by New York’s crime bosses, who feared his plan would result in a crackdown on their operations.
Schulz VshultsV, Charles (b. Nov. 26, 1922, Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.—d. Feb. 12, 2000, Santa Rosa, Calif.) U.S. cartoonist. Son of a Minneapolis barber, he took a correspondence course in cartooning and worked as a freelance cartoonist before creating Peanuts (originally Li 7 Folks, 1950), which would become the most widely syndicated comic strip of all time. The strip, whose characters are boys and girls ranging
Arthur Schopenhauer, 1855.
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1702 I Schumacher ► Schutz
in age from three to five and a beagle with a grandiose imagination, deals with the frustrations of everyday life and the cruelty that exists among children, often with philosophical and psychological overtones. Just before his death, after 50 years of continuous production, Schulz announced the end of his strip.