Unfinished Symphony
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Schubert's Symphony in B minor, of which only two movements were completed. Other work or disinclination caused the composer to leave unfinished the four movements he had originally designed.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Unfinished Symphony” mean?
Schubert's Symphony in B minor, of which only two movements were completed. Other work or disinclination caused the composer to leave unfinished the four movements he had originally designed.
Is “Unfinished Symphony” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.