Romantic Period - Early 19th Century#

Franz Schubert: Symphony in C major - "The Great"#

A symphony concert in Schubert's day

The dating of Franz Schubert's (1797 - Vienna - 1828) Großen C-Dur Symphonie (Symphony in C major. The Great) has led to much conjecture. He probably started the composition in 1825 since he dedicated it in 1826 to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Friends of Music) in Vienna. They found it to difficult to perform however. It wasn't printed until 1828 after Schubert had revised it. The beginning of the work is typical Schubert: the first 8 bars present an impressive melody played by only two horns - a combination that was unheard-of for the beginning of a symphony. until then. Another characteristic of this symphony is what was later called the totale Durchfuehrung, (total development), i.e. the musical themes and motives are unfolded in all parts of the movement from the beginning on and not just limited to the development section. Thus there is an over-all logical unity that goes beyond all formal considerations. (E.Stadler)

Sound Clip#