Symphony No. 6, “Little C Major,” D.589

Composer: SCHUBERT, Franz

Quick Facts

  • Written between 1817-18
  • Four movements:
    1. Adagio — Allegro
    2. Andante
    3. Scherzo
    4. Allegro moderato 
  • The first public performance didn’t take place until December 1828, shortly after the composer’s death.
  • The nickname, “Little C Major,” was assigned to distinguish it from Schubert’s later C Major Symphony No. 9, “The Great.”1

About the Piece

  • As one of Schubert’s “earlier” symphonies, this work draws inspiration from the music of Haydn and Beethoven.2
  • Fun fact – none of Schubert’s symphonies were performed publicly or published during the composer’s lifetime.3

Sources

  1. “Symphony No.6, D.589 (Schubert, Franz),” IMSLP, accessed October 11, 2024, https://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.6,_D.589_(Schubert,_Franz).
  2. Hugh Macdonald, “Symphony No. 6 in C major, D. 589 (“Little C-major”),” L. A. Phil, accessed October 11, 2024, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/4032/symphony-no-6-in-c-major-d-589-little-c-major.
  3. Georg Predota, “On This Day 14 December: Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 Was Premiered,” Interlude (2021), accessed October 11, 2024, https://interlude.hk/on-this-day-14-december-schubert-symphony-no-6-was-premiered/.

Cut IDs

42495 18348