About this edition
Composed in April 1816, when Schubert was just nineteen years old, the Symphony No. 4 in C minor is the most dramatically charged of his six early symphonies. Schubert himself inscribed the manuscript "Tragic" — the only symphony he personally subtitled in this way — and the work's brooding slow introduction, urgent minor-key argument, and restless chromatic writing reveal a young composer reaching toward the stormy minor-key idiom associated with Mozart's Symphony No. 40 and Beethoven's earliest symphonic language. Two centuries on, it remains a compelling window into Schubert's symphonic ambitions, written years before the lyrical mastery of his later works fully emerged.
This edition reproduces the full orchestral score as it appeared in Franz Schubert's Werke, Serie I, No. 4 (pages 191–250), published by Breitkopf & Härtel of Leipzig in 1884 under plate number F.S. 4. It formed part of the first complete critical edition of Schubert's works, and the symphony volumes were edited by Johannes Brahms himself — a composer of comparable stature and one of Schubert's most devoted advocates. Brahms's editorial oversight, paired with the meticulous engraving standards of the Breitkopf & Härtel house, makes this the historically authoritative source text for the Fourth Symphony, representing its first appearance in print as a full score.
About this edition:
- Format: full orchestral score, suitable for study, reference, or performance preparation
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Reproduced from a historical public domain source
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
Because this historic score's copyright has long since expired, we're delighted to bring Brahms's own edition of Schubert's "Tragic" Symphony back into print — making this remarkable early work easily accessible to conductors, orchestras, students, and scholars alike.
