Symphony No. 9 (Schubert) Symphony No. 9 (Schubert) The Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944, known as the Great (published in 1840 as "Symphony No. 7 in C Major", listed as No. 8 in the Neue Schubert-Ausgabe), is the final symphony completed by Franz Schubert. Originally called "The Great C major" to distinguish it from his Symphony No. 6, the "Little C major", the subtitle is now usually taken as a reference to the symphony's majesty. Unusually long for a symphony of its time, a typical performance of "The Great" takes around 55 minutes, though it can also be played in as
Franz Schubert for arpeggione and piano (D. 821), or the unconventional scoring of the "Trout Quintet" (D. 667), which is scored for piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass, whereas conventional piano quintets are scored for piano and string quartet. Although Schubert was clearly influenced by the Classical sonata forms of Beethoven and Mozart, his formal structures and his developments tend to give the impression more of melodic development than of harmonic drama. This combination of Classical form and long-breathed Romantic melody sometimes lends them a discursive style: his "Great C major" Symphony was described by Robert Schumann as running to "heavenly