The Mystery of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Background of Schubert's Unfinished Eighth Symphony
3. The Fascination with the Unfinished Work
4. Theories on the Unfinished Symphony
   1. The Missing Third Movement
   2. The Fourth Movement Theory
5. Completion Attempts
   1. Brian Newbold's Completion
   2. The Debate on Completing the Symphony
6. Conclusion

Schubert's Unfinished Eighth Symphony: A Mystery of Music History

Schubert's Unfinished Eighth Symphony in B minor is one of the most beloved works of classical music. Despite being unfinished, it has captured the hearts of many musicians and music lovers alike. The fact that it was left incomplete has been a great source of displeasure for many, and over the years, dozens of composers, musicologists, and even artificial intelligence have devoted time, energy, and software to completing this piece.

The main fascination with the work comes from just how good the first two completed movements are. Therefore, how could Schubert abandon something that was turning out so well? It's understandable that people would hold on to the hope that Schubert might have finished the piece, and that by some miracle, someday the completed orchestral scores to the third and fourth movements might be found misplaced in some Viennese library or attic.

Background of Schubert's Unfinished Eighth Symphony

In 1822, Schubert began working on a grand symphony in B minor. However, in contrast to his previous symphonies, his eighth would be conceived for a larger orchestra and be decidedly more in the vein of the large symphonies written by Beethoven. As up until the 8th, Schubert's symphonies were written for salon orchestras and thus less robust in their orchestration.

In 1823, after being made an honorary member of the Styrian Music Society, Schubert apparently sent the first two movements, along with at least two pages of a fully scored third movement, to his friend and leading member of the society, Anzalem Hutenbrena, with the intention of dedicating the work to the society to display his gratitude of being made an honorary member.

Nonetheless, the symphony remained with Hitenbrenner for 42 years until he revealed it to a conductor, Johan von Herbeck, in 1865, who would premiere the piece later that year. Not even von Herbeck was satisfied with the piece being incomplete and used the finale from Schubert's third symphony in D major to "complete" the piece.

The Fascination with the Unfinished Work

Perhaps what makes Schubert's eighth symphony draw so much Attention is that Schubert could have feasibly finished the piece. It wasn't necessarily his death that prevented him from finishing it, as was the case with Brookner's ninth symphony, Mozart's Requiem, or Mahler's tenth symphony. Schubert even wrote a complete ninth symphony, so some might find it odd that he would have entirely abandoned his eighth and then later finished a ninth symphony and then even began working on a tenth symphony, all the while Never considering putting the final touches on his neglected eighth.

So, of course, this has led to the speculation that maybe there is a small chance Schubert finished the work, and some theories might point to this piece actually being more finished than unfinished, at least in an abstract Sense.

Theories on the Unfinished Symphony

Before I entertain the theories as to why the eighth symphony might be more finished than unfinished, I'd like to give some background to the work.

First off, besides the fully scored 30 bars of the third movement or scherzo amongst Schubert's possessions after his death, were found a further 112 bars scored for piano, the scherzo also in B minor. While somewhat fully realized, it gives way to a trio section in G major. This is where the detective work on this piece begins to run dry, as what began as a fully scored movement and subsequently turns into a rather nicely structured piano reduction dwindles down to just one melodic line.

This only heightens the mystique of this piece, in my opinion. It's like before our very eyes, this movement step by step is being stripped down to nothing. As glorious as Schubert began this piece, by the time he got to the third movement, the piece has devolved into a singular incomplete melody in G major. So, is this it? Are we doomed to forever wonder how Schubert continued this movement? Its incompleteness is right here for us to see. There is no subtlety in this piano reduction. This piece appears abandoned, or was it?

The Missing Third Movement

As late as 1967, more fragments of the scherzo were discovered. So, it is entirely possible in some dusty drawer somewhere, the orchestral score to this movement is sitting, waiting to be discovered. So, even though the scherzo is incomplete, some musicologists and composers have sought to complete it. Due to the nature of the scherzo and trio form, one can deduce that actually around eighty percent of this movement is, in fact, structurally complete, as only half the trio is missing. And since in scherzo and trio form, the initial scherzo has repeated the capo after the trio, one can offer a fairly convincing and respectful reconstruction of the movement, which was done fairly well by Brian Newbold.

The Fourth Movement Theory

But what of the fourth movement? This is where things get very interesting indeed. There's absolutely no existing evidence written in Schubert's own HAND that pinpoints any piece or sketch he was working on to a fourth movement for his B minor symphony. However, in his incidental music for the play "ROSA Munde," there is a piece that might be out of place.

The anta act number one of the incidental music is a large and dramatic piece written in sonata form in B minor and even has the same instrumentation as his unfinished symphony. The incidental music to Rosamunda was written around the same time as Schubert would have been working on his unfinished symphony, so it's possible Schubert just repurposed the music for Rosamunda.

While some cite the lack of evidence to this theory, which was proposed by Brian Newbold, the same man who reconstructed the third movement, I actually completely buy into his theory. It makes a lot of sense. The piece is written like a symphonic finale. It's in the same key. It has the same instrumentation, and it's written in sonata form, which was next to the rondo form, the typical form with which one ended a symphonic or multi-movement sonata of the classical era.

It's also worth mentioning that B minor was not a commonly used key in Schubert's time. Schubert was also the Type of Composer to heavily recycle his themes into other pieces, so this theory is entirely probable. However, the anta act of Rosamunda's ending in the Parallel major of B major seems somewhat too abrupt to me. If we're going to entertain the theory that this is the actual finale to the eighth symphony, while it was common practice in the era to end symphonies written in minor in the parallel major, I find the last seven measures of this ultra act in B major too abrupt.

In Schubert's fourth symphony, in C minor, the switch to the parallel C major is significantly longer and more fleshed out. It should be the typical way of moving to the parallel major in a significant symphony, especially in the finale. I would almost prefer if these seven measures just stayed in B minor. Dramatic minor conclusions to multi-movement pieces of the classical period were non-existent but rare. Maybe Schubert just did a quick and easy change to these final seven measures to the parallel major to make the piece work as an antaract. I just can't help but feeling this ending would be so much more powerful if it just simply ended in minor.

But this is beyond just speculation, as whether the piece is the finale of the eighth is speculative in and of itself. But I completely buy into it. Perhaps I just really want to believe it. It ties up many of the loose ends to Schubert's eighth because we then have to consider if Schubert actually wrote the entire fourth movement. Where's the fully scored third movement? I suppose it is possible that it exists and might someday be discovered, or that it existed and is forever lost, or that the only movement that doesn't exist in entirety is the third, and Schubert completed only the first, Second, and fourth movement. Whatever the truth is might never be known, but I think Brian Newbold did music history a great favor in proposing the finale might actually be the entre act to Rosa Munde, as he has given us the single most convincing solution to one of music history's greatest cold cases.

Completion Attempts

There are a few recordings of Schubert's eighth with all four movements that were put together by Brian Newbold, and it is perhaps the only completion attempt worth listening to. However, here arises another question: does the eighth symphony need to be complete? Should we all rejoice that Brian Newbold figured it out and offered us a completed piece?

Some pieces work just fine in their incomplete form, such as Brookner's ninth, which, although missing a final movement, still feels as if it says everything it needs to. I unfortunately don't feel this is the case with Schubert's eighth, as the end of the second movement leaves You longing for more. But this incompleteness is also kind of a reflection of the incomplete life of Schubert. We don't have a finished third movement nor any evidence that the fourth movement is actually the anta act from Rosamunda, and it might stay that way. So, in a way, is it not more effective this piece remains in its two-movement form? This has ultimately been the Consensus of the musical community, even after Newbold's revelations. And while I commend Newbold's desire to complete the piece, it remains speculative, and all we have for sure are those first two movements.

Conclusion

Schubert's Unfinished Eighth Symphony remains a mystery of music history. While we may never know the truth behind its incompleteness, it continues to captivate audiences and inspire musicians and composers to this day. Theories and completion attempts will continue to be debated, but perhaps it's best that the piece remains in its two-movement form, a testament to Schubert's genius and the enigma of his unfinished masterpiece.

Highlights

• Schubert's Unfinished Eighth Symphony in B minor is one of the most beloved works of classical music.
• The fact that it was left incomplete has been a great source of displeasure for many, and over the years, dozens of composers, musicologists, and even artificial intelligence have devoted time, energy, and software to completing this piece.
• The main fascination with the work comes from just how good the first two completed movements are.
• Theories on the unfinished symphony include the missing third movement and the fourth movement theory.
• Brian Newbold's completion of the third movement is the most convincing solution to one of music history's greatest cold cases.
• The debate on completing the symphony continues, but the consensus of the musical community is that it's best that the piece remains in its two-movement form.

FAQ

Q: Why is Schubert's Unfinished Eighth Symphony so famous? A: The fact that it was left incomplete has been a great source of displeasure for many, and over the years, dozens of composers, musicologists, and even artificial intelligence have devoted time, energy, and software to completing this piece.

Q: Why did Schubert abandon the piece? A: It's unclear why Schubert abandoned the piece, but some theories suggest that he might have finished the work, and some theories might point to this piece actually being more finished than unfinished, at least in an abstract sense.

Q: What are the completion attempts for the symphony? A: Brian Newbold's completion of the third movement is the most convincing solution to one of music history's greatest cold cases. However, the debate on completing the symphony continues, and the consensus of the musical community is that it's best that the piece remains in its two-movement form.

Q: Why is the fourth movement theory controversial? A: The fourth movement theory is controversial because there's no existing evidence written in Schubert's own hand that pinpoints any piece or sketch he was working on to a fourth movement for his B minor symphony.