Symphony No. 9 in C Major, “The Great,” D. 944

• Schubert started working on this symphony in the summer of 1825, and continued to work on it until 1828.¹ 
• The Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde offered to give the symphony’s premiere in 1828, but they withdrew their offer after deciding the work was too long and complicated.² It eventually premiered in Leipzig, on March 19, 1839, in a performance conducted by Felix Mendelssohn.³
• Robert Schumann helped bring about this work’s premiere. Schubert’s brother Ferdinand showed Schumann the score along with many other Schubert scores he had in his home, and Schumann was particularly excited about this one.⁴
  • This took place on New Year’s Day, 1837, after Schumann had paid a visit to Beethoven and Schubert’s graves (which were situated close to each other in Währing Cemetery.) 

“He [Ferdinand] knew of me because of that veneration for his brother which I have so often publicly expressed; told me and showed me many things. . .Finally, he allowed me to see those treasured compositions of Schubert’s which he still possesses. The sight of this hoard of riches thrilled me with joy; where to begin, where to end! Among other things, he drew my attention to the scores of several symphonies, many of which have never as yet been heard, but were shelved as too heavy and turgid. There, among the piles, lay a heavy volume of 130 pages, dated March 1828 at the top of the first sheet. The manuscript, including the date and a number of corrections, is entirely in Schubert’s hand, which often appears to have been flying as fast as his pen could go. The work, a symphony in C, Schubert’s last and greatest, had never been performed.”

Robert Schumann⁵

1. Betsy Schwarm, “Symphony No. 9 in C Major,” Encyclopedia Brittanica (April 2, 2014), accessed April 6, 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Symphony-No-9-in-C-Major.
2. Ibid.
3. Phillip Huscher, “Program Notes: Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 (Great),” Chicago Symphony Orchestra, accessed April 6, 2021, https://cso.org/uploadedFiles/1_Tickets_and_Events/Program_Notes/ProgramNotes_Schubert_Symphony9.pdf.
4. Ibid.
5. Quoted in Ibid.