6th Symphony (Schubert)

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The Symphony no. 6 C Major D  589 is a symphony of Schubert . To distinguish it from the “ Great Symphony in C major ”, which is in the same key, the sixth is also called the “Small C major”.

Emergence

The symphony was composed from October 1817 to February 1818, one year after Symphony No. 5 . In contrast to the preparation time of a few weeks for earlier Schubert symphonies, this lasted five months for the 6th symphony. It is possible that Schubert worked on the symphony with interruptions during this time, but quickly during the actual composition work.

After completing the compositional work, Schubert titled the symphony No. 6 in relation to the instrumentation with clarinets, trumpets and timpani as “Great Symphony in C”. Today the symphony in C major, D 944 is referred to as the “Great C major symphony”. The symphony No. 6 in C major, D 589, is now called the “Little C major symphony” to distinguish it.

To the music

Orchestral line-up

Two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons , two horns , two trumpets , timpani , first violin , second violin, viola , cello , double bass

1st movement: Adagio - Allegro

Accompanied by orchestral tutti, the deliberate Adagio introduction of the first movement begins. For example, in the cadenced and trilled return from bar 8, which seems to open the symphony again, or the unexpected, vocal clarinet solo from bar 18, it has the character of a singspiel and is indispensable as an introduction to the Allegro theme. The Allegro theme itself is in turn reminiscent of Joseph Haydn's 100th Symphony (the "Military Symphony ").

The use of the theme from bar 187 seems to be the beginning of the recapitulation ; However, instead, followed by a further development section in E flat major before abruptly "the recapitulation actually used in a" coloristic surprise. The Stretta , which begins in fortissimo in the coda, has a similar effect , and changes at high speed into a large-scale cadenza.

2nd movement: Andante

The andante of the second movement contains a lyrical folk song-like theme, combined with Schubert's individual musical language. The movement is characterized by contrasts between deliberate and introverted sections on the one hand and march-like sections and Italian opera music on the other. According to musicologist Wolfgang Stähr, Schubert did this to such an extent that it "touched the border to triviality, to second-hand music [...] more than once".

The second section of the middle section from bar 49 does not have any melodic formation and develops a surface effect with the constantly repeated triplet motif. This section is reminiscent of Schubert's late symphonic style.

3rd movement: Scherzo. Presto trio. Più lento

Schubert describes the presto of the third movement - for the first time in one of his symphonies, following the example of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 2 - as a scherzo. Another characteristic of Beethoven's role model is the main section designed by Schubert, which, with 48 bars, exceeds the 8-bar main section in the third movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in length, but is characterized by eight bars in shape and structure.

The energy of the music goes across all voices in all directions. In contrast, there is a uniform development in the trio of the movement, which is characterized by a folk tone.

4th movement: Allegro moderato

The fourth movement of the symphony is based on the example of the Italian overture in its sonata movement without development, an above-average long coda and a stringed instead of dynamic style. Here Schubert follows the style of the Italian opera composer Gioachino Rossini , to whom he had certified an "extraordinary genius". Rossini's music was extremely popular at the time and inspired the finale of Symphony No. 6 as well as the composition of the overtures that were written at the same time (D 590 and D 591).

effect

According to the report of the lawyer Leopold von Sonnleithner , the symphony was premiered shortly after completion either in a private concert by the “Hatwig'schen Orchester” in the Gundelhof or, after Hatwig fell ill, at the farmers' market at Anton Pettenkofer's under Josef Otter .

The first public performance took place on December 14, 1828 - a few weeks after Schubert's death - in the great Redoutensaal of the Vienna Hofburg as part of a subscription concert of the “ Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien ” with Johann Baptist Schmiedel as conductor. A further performance of this symphony was then apparently already on March 12, 1829 as part of a concert spirituel in the country hall in Vienna .

As part of this concert, the " Allgemeine Musikische Zeitung " wrote on February 4, 1829:

“On the 14th [December 1828], in the Imperial and Royal Redouten Hall: Second Society Concert [...]: New Symphony in C major, by Franz Schubert (from his estate): a beautiful, hard-working work, its extremely appealing Movements that are scherzo and finale. What one could perhaps criticize about it would be that the wind orchestra is overly considered, whereas the string instruments appear only subordinated on average. "

- General musical newspaper : February 4, 1829

On January 19, 1861, the Viennese "Deutsche Musik-Zeitung" asked whether the "Symphony in C" announced in the program of 1828 was the "Sixth" or the "Great Symphony in C major" (which was then counted as the “seventh”). This uncertainty was clearly answered by Leopold von Sonnleithner , who attended the performances in December and March.

The symphony was published in 1884 as part of the Old Complete Edition of all Schubert symphonies, edited by Johannes Brahms , by Breitkopf & Härtel . Brahms did not attest Schubert's so-called youth symphonies a high artistic value and was of the opinion that they "should not be published, but only preserved with piety and perhaps made available to several people in copies".

In his day Antonín Dvořák was one of the few admirers of Schubert's early symphonies, in which - despite the influence of Haydn and Mozart - he emphasized Schubert's individuality in the "character of the melodies", the "harmonic progression" and the "many exquisite details of the orchestration" recognized. During his teaching activities in New York, he made his students familiar with Schubert's 6th Symphony.

Musicologist Alfred Einstein described the symphony as “strangely unpopular with conductors who like to condescend to the ' tragic' and the intimate B flat major symphony . No wonder it alienates you. It doesn't fit into any scheme «.

Today the autograph, consisting of 82 twelve-line sheet music in landscape format, is kept by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna .

literature

  • Renate Ulm (Ed.): Franz Schubert's Symphonies. Origin - interpretation - effect. Dtv Bärenreiter, 2000, ISBN 3-423-30791-9 .
  • Wolfram Steinbeck : "And a romance poured out over the whole thing." - The symphonies. In: Schubert Handbook. Bärenreiter, Kassel 2010, ISBN 978-3-7618-2041-4 . Pp. 549-668.
  • Hans Joachim Therstappen: The development of form in Schubert, shown in the first movements of his symphonies. (= Collection of individual musicological presentations , 19th) Leipzig 1931.
  • Ernst Laaff : Schubert's Symphonies. Dissertation, Frankfurt 1931, Wiesbaden 1933.
  • Maurice JE Brown: Schubert Symphonies. BBC Publications, London 1970.
  • René Leibowitz : Tempo and Character in Schubert's Symphonies. In: Franz Schubert. Special volume music concepts. Munich 1979.
  • Brian Newbould : Schubert and the Symphony - A New Perspective. London 1992.
  • Helmut Well: Early Work and Innovation - Studies on Franz Schubert's »Youth Symphonies«. Kieler Schriften zur Musikwissenschaft, Volume 42. Kassel 1995.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Carl Dahlhaus : Franz Schubert and the "Age of Beethoven and Rossini" , in: Years of Crisis , pp. 22–28, 1985, p. 27
  2. ↑ Renate Ulm (Ed.): Franz Schubert's Symphonies. Origin - interpretation - effect. Dtv Bärenreiter, 2000, 167
  3. ^ Letter of May 19, 1819, in: Otto Erich Deutsch (Ed.): Schubert. The documents of his life (= Franz Schubert: New edition of all works. ) Kassel etc. 1964ff. (New Schubert edition), Kassel etc. 1964, p. 79.
  4. ^ Ernst Laaff : Schubert's symphonies. Dissertation, Frankfurt 1931, Wiesbaden 1933., p. 21ff.
  5. ↑ In contrast, the Viennese music historian Otto Biba , referring to a letter by the composer Josef Hüttenbrenner from 1842, argues that the “Great” C major symphony was performed in 1829 . see. Otto Biba: The premiere of Schubert's Great C major symphony - 1829 in Vienna. A lucky find for the Schubert year . In: Musikblätter der Wiener Philharmoniker 51, Vienna 1997 pp. 287–291. This view was cautiously received by Schubert research, see: Foreword . In: Werner Aderhold (ed.): Symphony No. 8 in C. . New Schubert edition , Series V, Volume 4a. Bärenreiter, Kassel 2003 (BA 5554), ISMN 979-0-006-49713-3 (search in the DNB portal) .
  6. ^ Letter from Leopold Sonnleithner from January 20, 1861, printed in: Otto Erich Deutsch (Ed.): Schubert - The memories of his friends. 2nd Edition. VEB Breitkopf and Härtel, Leipzig 1966, DNB 458893935 , p. 497 f .; also reprinted in: Renate Ulm (Ed.): Franz Schubert's Symphonies. Origin - interpretation - effect. dtv / Bärenreiter, Munich / Kassel 2000, ISBN 3-423-30791-9 , p. 170 ( limited preview in the Google book search).
  7. ↑ Heinrich Kreißle von Hellborn (1865) also clearly describes the matter in his catalog raisonné
  8. ↑ Johannes Brahms ' letter to Breitkopf & Härtel from March 1884, in: Johannes Brahms: Briefwechsel , Volume 14, p. 353
  9. ^ A b John Clapham: Antonín Dvořák. Musician and Craftsman , London 1966 (Appendix II, pp. 296-305: Franz Schubert, by Antonín Dvořák , pp. 296ff).
  10. ↑ Alfred Einstein : Schubert. A musical portrait , Zurich 1952, p. 164