The Symphony #5 by Franz Schubert which for me has the most “romantic” tendencies of the first five, was composed between September and October of 1816. It has a relatively small orchestration ( 1 flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoon, 2 horns and strings – NO clarinets, trumpets or timpani), but even though classical in nature, again, in my opinion, the phrasing and singing qualities go beyond his earlier symphonies, and certainly are trending away from Mozart and Haydn.
The symphonies received few performances during Schubert’s lifetime – some were probably performed at some type of home “musicales” by a gathering of friends and fellow musicians. In spite of the lack of performances, and the fact that these were early works, the symphonies had their admirers then, and of course continue to have to this day. Antonin Dvorak, after seeing the scores remarked:
The more I study them, the more I marvel.
Here is the music; listen attentively to the amazing second movement:
