Symphony No. 9 (Schubert)
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The Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944, known as the Great, is the final symphony completed by Franz Schubert. It was originally nicknamed The Great C major to distinguish it from his other C major symphony, his sixth, the Little C major ([1],[2]), but the nickname is now often taken to refer to the symphony's length and majesty. A typical performance takes around 55 minutes.
In 1838, 10 years after Schubert's death, Robert Schumann visited Vienna and found the dusty manuscript of the symphony. He took it back to Leipzig, where it was performed by Felix Mendelssohn and celebrated in the Neue Zeitschrift. Legend claims during a rehearsal of the first movement one musician was reported as asking another if he had managed to hear a tune yet. On the other hand, having heard its first performance, Schumann is reported to have said he thought it the greatest instrumental work since the death of Beethoven.
There continues to be some controversy over the numbering of this symphony, with German-speaking scholars sometimes numbering it as symphony No. 7, some versions of the Deutsch catalog (the standard catalogue of Schubert's works, compiled by Otto Erich Deutsch) listing it as No. 8, and English-speaking scholars generally listing it as No. 9.
Following the standard symphonic form, there are four movements:
- Andante - Allegro ma non troppo
- Andante con moto
- Scherzo. Allegro vivace
- Finale. Allegro vivace
[edit] Another Path
Often considered Schubert’s finest piece for orchestra, the Great C-Major Symphony is also one of the composer’s most innovative pieces. Thematic development in the style of Beethoven is still present in the work, but Schubert puts far more emphasis on melody, which one might expect from the composer of some six hundred lieder. In fact, this new style prompted Schumann to pursue his own symphonic ambitions.
Though Beethoven may be credited as the first to use trombones in a symphony (Symphonies 5, 6, and 9 each employ trombones), it was Schubert who was the first to fully integrate the trombone into the symphony. Beethoven had always used the trombone as an effect, and therefore very sparingly, or, in the case of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, also to double the alto, tenor, and bass parts of the chorus as was common in sacred music and opera at the time. However, in both Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony and the Ninth Symphony, trombones are liberated from these roles and have far more substantial parts.
See also: List of compositions by Schubert and Schubert compositions D number 505-998
