Stephen Pettitt

To finish or not to finish?

Stephen Pettitt on unfinished pieces

issue 27 October 2007

Here’s your starter for ten. What’s the most famous unfinished piece of classical music in the world? Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony, his Symphony No. 8, of course, which is usually played as a two-movement torso, bereft of the Scherzo and finale which a symphony of its provenance would normally include. Usually, but not always.

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