The sketches are written on two
staves, with
voice leading, and harmonies ranging from complete to partly indicated. The manuscript contains five instrumental indications, confirming that the intended orchestra was most probably similar in size to the sixth symphony, without trombones (that would become part of the Schubertian orchestra only in the seventh and later symphonies). Conforming to this symphony still being firmly in the
Classical style, this orchestra was the same as that employed in the symphonies of the Viennese masters
Haydn,
Mozart, and the first two symphonies of
Ludwig van Beethoven. The sketches total about 18 minutes of music; Newbould's completion lasts 35 minutes.
First movement : \relative c'' { \tempo "[Allegro vivace]" \key d \major 2.\ff r8 d,-.\p | cis( d) e-. fis-. g4 r | 2.\ff r8 e,-.\p | dis( e) fis-. g-. a4 r | 2.\ff r8 fis,-.\f | eis( fis) gis-. ais-. b( ais) gis-. fis-. } :First theme : \relative c'' { \key d \major c2\pp es4 as4 | c2. bes4 | as g f es | as2. bes4 | as g f es | as2 es' | g, as4 f | es f es des } :Second theme The spirited first movement was almost certainly intended to be in
sonata form, but the sketch breaks off at the end of the
exposition. It is the only first movement of a Schubert symphony (barring the unfinished tenth symphony) that begins immediately with the first theme, without either a full slow introduction (as in the ninth) or a prefatory theme (as in the eighth). It begins with a rhythmic first theme in
D major, which forms the basis for the accompaniment to the second theme; however, it abruptly and surprisingly grinds to a halt on an
augmented sixth chord on the
subdominant. After a
modulatory passage in the
transition, the second theme is first exposed in A major, a
tritone away from the original tonic, before modulating to the conventional
dominant (
A major). This is unprecedented in any works by the most important Viennese composers.
Second movement : \relative c'' { \time 3/8 \tempo "[Andante con moto]" \key a \major cis16. gis32 a4 | e'16. bis32 cis4 | cis16 b b cis b gis | e16. fis64 gis a4 | cis16 gis a4 | e'16 bis cis4 | cis16 b b cis b gis } :Opening The lyrical slow second movement is written in the dominant key of A major, but there is a great deal of
modal mixture. After the first theme is first exposed in A major, a transition in the
parallel minor leads to a restatement of the theme in
F major, in which another theme is heard in two-part invertible
counterpoint. The sketch ends here. The initial statement of the first theme has a different rhythm than all its other statements. Newbould decided to regularize it in his completion, which he stated was the only time in his completion that he altered what Schubert wrote. One of Schubert's instrumental cues in the sketch appears here, giving a melody to the clarinet. This is however very inconvenient due to the high
tessitura of this melody, going up to written
G6 (sounding E6).
Third movement : \relative c'' { \time 3/4 \tempo "[Scherzo: Allegro vivace]" \key d \major d8\pp d e d e d | cis cis d cis d cis | b cis d e fis g | fis e d cis b a | > } :Beginning of scherzo : \relative c'' { \time 3/4 \key g \major d4\pp d b'~ | b a d,~ | d( g b | d2 a4) | c,\ dis' e~\! | e e c'~ | c b e,~ | e a c | e d g, } :Beginning of trio The fast and light third movement is the most complete of all the movements in this sketch. It is a
scherzo and trio written in the
tonic key. The motive in
eighth notes in its first bar was later reused in the scherzo of Schubert's
ninth symphony. The opening is a lively
fugato based on this motive, before the main melodies enter. The initial motive forms the basis for the accompaniment. The second section of the scherzo focuses around the
mediant key of
F minor before returning to the opening material. The trio is set in the
subdominant key of
G major; though incomplete, only a few bars have to be reconstructed for the movement to be performable. Again, the trio sends the clarinet into the extreme high register (up to sounding D6).
Fourth movement : \relative c'' { \time 2/4 \tempo "[Presto]" \key d \major \times 2/3 {d8\pp e d} \times 2/3 {a a a} | \times 2/3 {fis' g fis} \times 2/3 {a, a a} | \times 2/3 {fis' e cis} \times 2/3 {a cis e} | \times 2/3 {b' a fis} \times 2/3 {fis fis fis} | \times 2/3 {d8 e d} \times 2/3 {a a a} | \times 2/3 {fis' g fis} \times 2/3 {a, a a} } :Opening The fourth movement is the finale, in
sonata rondo form. Schubert started a first version, which he then crossed out to begin the movement anew. It opens with a melody in
triplets on the
flute; due to the triplets throughout, the movement gives the appearance of being in . Despite Schubert's attempting to reduce the influence of Rossini in his style here, the
crescendo after the first statement of the theme is strongly reminiscent of Rossini's style. The movement breaks off at what appears to be the start of the recapitulation, on the
dominant, as in the similar tarantella-finale of his
third symphony, D 200. Unusually, the music reaches the key of A major during a climactic passage, using the chords of A major and
C major. This means that the horns, trumpets and timpani have to remain silent despite their being conventionally present during climactic passages. This creates problems in orchestrating the symphony in Schubert's style, and is probably why the symphony was left unfinished. Due to the impossibility of using those instruments when necessary, Schubert considered using trombones for the finale, which could be used there. But because he had not originally intended the symphony to include trombones and was still unfamiliar with how to use them, he set this work aside to begin a new symphony that would be written for an orchestra with a trio of trombones added. This was the seventh symphony, D 729, which also remained incomplete. ==Newbould's completion==