Symphony No. 8 in B minor, “Unfinished”
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

THE STORY

It is ironic that Franz Schubert’s arguably most famous work is one that he did not complete. Though he died at the age of 31, Schubert was extraordinarily prolific. He wrote more than 1,500 works for orchestra, piano, chamber ensembles, and voice—his output exceeding that of many composers who lived more than twice as long.

It is unknown why Schubert never finished his Eighth Symphony. He began the work in 1822, six years before his death, but moved on after completing two movements and sketching a third. With his health already in decline and other projects in progress, he sent the manuscript of the completed movements to musician Anselm Hüttenbrenner in gratitude for a professional favor.

Schubert’s fame skyrocketed after his passing, but the Unfinished Symphony remained unknown until Hüttenbrenner’s brother Joseph mentioned it in a letter to Viennese conductor Johann von Herbeck—calling it a “treasure” comparable to “all the symphonies of Beethoven.” Eventually von Herbeck was shown the manuscript, and the work was given its official premiere in 1865, nearly forty years after Schubert’s death. Despite its unfinished status, it would become one of his most beloved works.

LISTEN FOR

• The two juxtaposing themes of the first movement, both introduced by cellos: the first is ominous, setting up the movement’s uneasy effect; the second lilting, reminiscent of a nursery rhyme
• The songful compositional style of the second movement, particularly in the solos of the woodwind section—Schubert was particularly famous for his composition of lieder, German art songs for voice and piano

INSTRUMENTATION

Two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, strings