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The Discovery of Schubert's Great C-Major Symphony: A Story in Fifteen LettersAuthor(s): Otto Erich DeutschSource: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct., 1952), pp. 528-532Published by: Oxford University PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/740137 .

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THE DISCOVERY OF SCHUBERT'S GREAT C-MAJOR SYMPHONY:

A STORY IN FIFTEEN LETTERS

By OTTO ERICH DEUTSCH

SHE story of how Schubert's great C-major Symphony was found and produced is well known; but the letters assembled here for

the first time are hardly known in their entirety. They were published between 1848 and 1928 in eight different books and periodicals, as is shown in the list of sources given at the end. Among them is a letter by Mendelssohn which has not been printed elsewhere since its publication in a Vienna music magazine in 1848. It seems high time that somebody undertook to collect Mendelssohn's letters - the most ac- complished of any among the letters of German composers. His letters addressed to the Philharmonic Society were written in English. The German letters quoted here were newly translated into English by Maurice J. E. Brown. All the letters date from 1839.

I.

On 6 January 1839 Robert Schumann wrote from Vienna to Breit- kopf & Hiartel: "Several days ago I visited Franz Schubert's brother and saw with astonishment the treasures that are in his keeping. There are ... four or five symphonies ... You could bring out the symphonies in arrangements for pianoforte-duet, a work that I would gladly under- take myself. There would be only a moderate fee. Schubert's brother, however, cannot forego a fee entirely, since he is quite without means, a father of eight children, and the posthumous works constitute all his property."

2. The Leipzig publishers answered on 12 January: "We could hope

to get one symphony performed during the course of the winter, if it is ready with the parts copied out, and if it were forwarded to us quickly."

528



The Discovery of Schubert's Great C-Major Symphony 529

3- On 31 January Ferdinand Schubert wrote to the firm: "I hasten

to notify you that I have the honor of transmitting to you immediately, through Diabelli & Co., two of the seven extant symphonies of my brother. You are receiving not only the score of Symphony No. 6 but also the set of parts, for this work was performed once in Vienna (1829 [recte 1828] by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in the Imperial Redouten-Saal) to great applause, and because you might perhaps, most kindly, obtain a performance of this composition during the season in Leipzig also, through the worthy Dr. Mendelssohn. You will receive only a faithful copy of the score of Symphony No. 7 (copied by me personally) because the score itself rests in the archives of the Austrian Musikverein as an authentic memorial. For your convenience I append a specification of these seven symphonies, which I intend to assign to you, together, for a fee of 700 fl. C.M.; taken separately the prices are ... for Symphony No. 6- I50 fl. C.M., for Symphony No. 7- 200 fl. C.M."

4. Mendelssohn wrote to the publishers on i i February: "I beg you

to let me know as soon as Franz Schubert's symphony arrives, so that if possible I can still include it in the repertory."

5. On 22 March Raymund Hairtel reported to Schumann: "Yesterday the Schubert symphony (the one that arrived without the parts) was given in the last subscription concert, and although voices here and there were raised against its length, for it lasts a clear hour, yet it has pleased. Accordingly we are inclined to engrave it, and ask you, since you once interested yourself in the affair, to speak to Herr Schubert, if you please, in our name. The latter had assessed the fee for the symphony at 250 fl. [sic]. That is, of course, very high. We believe, however, that it would be a fair way out if perhaps Herr Schubert would give us a few of his brother's songs as well as the symphony."

6. Shortly afterwards Mendelssohn wrote to Ferdinand: "You have

given us all a great, lively pleasure through transmitting both the symphonies of your brother. They arrived here so late that it was only possible for us to perform one of them, for only the last of our subscription concerts remained to be given, and since the Symphony No. 7, of which you sent only the score, seemed to me to be quite outstand- ingly distinguished, and I rather thought that it would have more



530 The Musical Quarterly

appeal here than the other, I had it quickly copied, and we performed it at the final concert, last Thursday, the 2 Ist, with general, very hearty applause. Each movement was followed by long and loud applause, and even more significant than that, all the musicians of the orchestra were deeply stirred and overjoyed by the admirable work. It has had more success than most of the other newer things of the last four years and we shall repeat it at the beginning of the next concert season. I thank you yet again, most heartily, for the joy which you have thus afforded us. If only you had been present at the performance; I believe you would have been satisfied with it - at any rate, the symphony could surely be performed nowhere else with more love than was the case here. - The Philharmonic Society in London recently inquired of me if I knew of anything significant in the way of new symphonies or overtures to send them, for the forthcoming performances this year. I would like to send them the parts or score of this symphony for I know how admirably such things are performed there. - Yet I cannot do this, naturally, without your permission, and accordingly ask you if it is acceptable to you to have the symphony brought to performance there. I beg you to reply by return of post because I leave Leipzig in about three weeks' time, and so must have your letter before then."

7. On 29 March Schumann answered Raymund Hairtel: "I am very

glad you want to print Schubert's symphony ... I know this much for certain, that he hasn't a single song of his brother's ... You must think of another way out. In my opinion the fee is altogether too high; the

composer would have merited it; the heir, however, can be satisfied with a lesser one ... Just at the most propitious moment Herr Schubert visited me, and will be quite satisfied with I8o Gulden. Have the kind- ness to write to him now yourself. He requests only five complimentary copies in addition."

8.

On the same day (29 March) Mendelssohn wrote to W. Watts, the secretary of the Philharmonic Society in London: "I hope to be able to send you a very extraordinary and excellent symphony of F.

Schubert, the famous composer, which we performed here at our last concert with great applause. I have written to Vienna to get the permission of sending the work to the Society, and shall send it immediately if allowed to do so."



The Discovery of Schubert's Great C-Major Symphony 531

9- A few days later, on 4 April, Mendelssohn wrote to Ignaz Moscheles:

"At the last concert we gave a most highly significant and interesting symphony by Fr. Schubert; it is, in any case, one of the best of the newer pieces that we have; alive, piquant, and characteristic throughout, and it stands foremost amongst Schubert's instrumental pieces."

10.

In a letter of IO April, which Josef Doppler, as Ferdinand's agent, delivered in Leipzig, the latter confirmed his agreement with Schu- mann's proposal and continued: "Dr. Mendelssohn wishes to send Symphony No. 7 to the Philharmonic Society in London for performance. I have requested him to approach you in this matter, for you are to regard yourselves as already proprietors of this symphony."

II.

Mendelssohn to the publishers, 23 April: "The Schubert symphony comes herewith. To the Philharmonic Society I have written according to agreement." (The work was afterwards engraved in parts and these were published in February 1840; the score did not follow until nine years later.)

12.

On the same day (23 April 1839) Mendelssohn had written to London: "I send you today . . . the parts of the symphony of F. Schubert (the celebrated ballad composer), of which I spoke in my last letter. It is a very extraordinary composition, which has created an uncommon sensation amongst the musicians here; I should strongly recommend you not to repeat the first part of the last movement, perhaps also not the first and the second part of the Scherzo. The slow movement, and also the beginning, will be favorites with you I believe. - Breitkopf & Hiirtel, the music publishers, have bought the copyright of this symphony and have been quite ready at my request to allow its being performed at your Society before the publication, but they rely on your and the Society's honor that it shall not be used to any other purpose than this performance, and that nobody else will get a copy of it in England."

13. Mendelssohn to the publishers, 25 November: "Is it to be as you

once expressed to me, that we can play the Schubert symphony at the Gewandhaus on 5 December? Even though it be only from the proof-



532 The Musical Quarterly

sheets; that would be so much the better for the accuracy of the edition." (The second performance did not take place until 12 December.)

14- On i i December Schumann wrote to Ernst Adolf Becker: "I heard

some of Franz Schubert's symphony at the rehearsal today --all the ideals of my life were attained in it - it is the greatest work that has been written in instrumental music since Beethoven, not excepting even Spohr and Mendelssohn."

I5. On the same day Schumann wrote to his betrothed: "Clara, today

I was transported. A symphony of Franz Schubert's was played at the rehearsal. If only you had been there. I cannot describe it to you; the instruments, they are human voices, and spirited beyond measure, and this instrumentation in spite of Beethoven - and this length, this heavenly length like a novel in four volumes, longer than the Ninth Symphony. I was completely happy, and wished for nothing else save that you might be my wife and I could also write such symphonies."

After a third performance in Leipzig (26 March 1840) the symphony came to Frankfurt am Main (22 January I84I), Vienna (I December 1850), Paris (23 November 1851), and London (5 April 1856). But it is worthy of mention that the first two movements had

already been played in Vienna on 15 December 1839, and the whole work was privately performed in 1844 in Windsor Castle.

LIST OF SOURCES

Wiener allgemeine Musik-Zeitung, 8th January I848 (No. 6) Philharmonic Society, London, Programme, 5th February 188o (Nos. 8 and 12) Jugendbriefe von Robert Schumann, Leipzig, 1886, p. 307 f. (No. 15) Robert Schumanns Briefe, Neue Folge, Leipzig, 1886, pp. 129 f. and 138 f.

(Nos. I and 7) Robert Schumanns Briefe, Neue Folge, Zweite Auflage, Leipzig, 1904, P. 175

(No. 14) Briefe von Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy an Ignaz und Charlotte Moscheles,

Leipzig, 1888, p. 177 f. (No. 9) Oskar von Hase, Breitkopf & Hdrtel, Leipzig, 1919, II, 120-22 (Nos. 2, 4, 5, 1o,

ii, and 13) Der Bdr, Leipzig, 1928, facsimile between pp. 12 and 13 (No. 3).



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