In the autograph manuscript of Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 6, there is an inscription: “Grand Symphony in C Major.” Perhaps the composer wished to emphasize his approach to the “grand style” of Romanticism, or to highlight a larger orchestral apparatus than in his previous symphony, No. 5, in which he added timpani, trumpets, and clarinets. Fate, however, led this work to be known as “The Little” symphony, so as not to confuse it with another C Major symphony he completed nearly a decade later, “The Great” — which indeed lasts almost an hour.
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On December 14, 1828, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of the Friends of Music in Vienna) decided to honor Franz Schubert, just four weeks after his death. They chose to perform Symphony No. 6 in the Redoutensaal of the Hofburg Imperial Palace. Curiously, this was the first time a Schubert symphony was performed publicly in concert. Schubert himself had the chance to hear the same work played by an orchestra in the spring of 1818, but in a private musical soirée organized by the violinist Otto Hatwig at the Burgtheater, gathering just over twenty amateur musicians, including Hatwig himself and Schubert, who played the viola.
In the early 19th century, private salons played a very important role in promoting instrumental music in Vienna. They presented chamber music and orchestral repertoire to audiences drawn from the upper middle class and aristocracy, within a relatively closed social circle. Public concerts had a different context: they were often promoted by virtuoso performers or by civic societies of music lovers, or even expressly organized to raise funds for composers. However, Schubert’s music was frequently performed in these more private contexts, such as Otto Hatwig’s residence, a respected figure in the city’s musical scene at the time. This symphony was one of Schubert’s last “youth symphonies,” composed when he was 20 years old in 1817. It was also the last one he wrote specifically to be performed at these informal gatherings. Although at the time Schubert was forced to focus on teaching at his father’s school, his public recognition grew from then on. Nonetheless, his symphonic work only became part of orchestral repertoires by the 1870s.
Symphony No. 6 was composed between October 1817 and February 1818. Whereas his previous Symphony No. 5 was modeled on Mozart, this work reveals three other influences: Beethoven, Haydn, and Rossini. Regarding the latter, it should be noted that Rossini’s operas had recently enjoyed great success in Vienna. The young Franz Schubert openly admired him, to the point of interrupting the composition of this symphony twice to write two overtures “in the Italian style.” Rossini’s influence is noticeable in the melodic style of the second movement, which resembles an operatic cavatina. It is also recognizable in the apparent spontaneity of the last movement, whose structure is reminiscent of Rossini’s opera overtures. Taken together, the symphony blends the lightness characteristic of the Italian style with the expressive density and formal rigor of the German style. The latter is evident in the solemn opening chords that recall Beethoven, or the prominent use of winds shortly thereafter, reminiscent of Haydn. The first movement concludes with a grandiose coda. The slow movement can be interpreted as a contrast between the elegant main melodic theme and abrupt passages in the trio. The third movement shows some similarities to the Scherzo from Beethoven’s First Symphony. This was the first time Schubert replaced the Minuet with a Scherzo — energetic and exuberant. The good humor of the finale flows with an ingeniously impeccable orchestration.
Rui Campos Leitão
Image: Franz Schubert at about 17 years old | Painting by Josef Abel (1764–1818) | Source: Wikimedia Commons