Franz Schubert’s so called “Great” Symphony #9 was sketched during the summer of 1825, a year after the completion of Beethoven’s epic Ninth Symphony.
This “Great” C major Symphony was a radical departure from the small-scale elegant charm of Schubert’s earlier classical symphonies. The nickname, “The Great” was intended to differentiate the work from the “Little” Symphony No. 6 in C major. Schubert’s Ninth rose to the new, heroic scale of Beethoven’s symphonies. But while Beethoven’s music developed in bursts of short motivic cells, Schubert, the composer of over 600 songs, tended to perceive music melodically.
Perhaps due to its length and the technical demands it placed on musicians, the Ninth Symphony was neglected in the immediate years after Schubert’s death. It wasn’t until 1838, ten years after the composer’s death, that Robert Schumann discovered the manuscript and brought it to Felix Mendelssohn, who conducted a performance at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on March 21, 1839. Schubert’s Ninth Symphony would serve as a profound inspiration for Schumann’s own symphonic aspirations.
Here is the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in a performance of the Symphony #9 by Franz Schubert:
I had the great good fortune to hear this orchestra perform this symphony in Costa Mesa, CA years ago to a sold out auditorium. We all just sat their in stunned awe. I’ll never forget it.