| Authorship Note This symphony was previously attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven |
| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 4 movements |
|---|---|
| Composition Year | 1793? |
| Genre Categories | Symphonies; For orchestra; Scores featuring the orchestra; |
Complete Score
*#244621 - 1.84MB, 72 pp. - (-) - V/V/V* - 1162×⇩ - Cypressdome
PDF scanned by E-Mn
Cypressdome (2012/7/30)
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Complete Score
*#154930 - 1.29MB, 110 pp. - (-) - !N/!N/!N - 1036×⇩ - Alonso del Arte
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Alonso del Arte (2011/11/22)
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| Work Title | Symphony No.14 in C major |
|---|---|
| Alternative. Title | “Jena” Symphony |
| Composer | Witt, Friedrich |
| Opus/Catalogue NumberOp./Cat. No. | Fischer 14 |
| I-Catalogue NumberI-Cat. No. | IFW 7 |
| Key | C major |
| Movements/SectionsMov'ts/Sec's | 4 movements |
| Year/Date of CompositionY/D of Comp. | 1793? |
| First Performance. | 1794? |
| First Publication. | 1911 – Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel |
| Average DurationAvg. Duration | 25 minutes |
| Composer Time PeriodComp. Period | Classical |
| Piece Style | Classical |
| Instrumentation | Orchestra: flute, 2 oboes, 2 bassoons + 2 horns, 2 trumpets + timpani + strings |
| External Links | RISM 280000018 (manuscript copy, Weimar) RISM 250001792 (ms copy, Jena) |
Once attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven. Parts were found in Jena listing “Louis van Beethoven” as the author. When Fritz Stein found these parts, he doubted the attribution but became convinced it was authentic Beethoven due to the score containing certain “Beethovenisms”. Others were not so sure, suggesting most or all of it had been written by a lesser-known composer. Finally a score and parts were found with the correct author: Friedrich Witt. Regardless of who wrote it, this symphony is an excellent exemplar of the classical symphony prior to Beethoven’s Eroica.
Much ado about one measure. As Fischer points out in the Garland edition of other Symphonies by Witt, the source of Stein’s edition was missing the first measure. There are other scores missing the first measure and the second bassoon or both bassoons. The first measure neatly ties the beginning of the work to the very end (the last two measures). However, omission of the first measure lends greater credence to the Beethoven attribution.
