Franz Schubert

Fantasy in F minor op. 103 D 940

Schubert’s Fantasy in F minor is one of the most important compositions in the piano four-hands repertoire. Its four thematically related movements are played one after the other without interruption. The work was composed between January and April 1828, the year of Schubert’s death. It is dedicated to his student Karoline von Esterházy, with whom he is said to have had an unhappy love affair. Schubert did not live to see the publication of the fantasy in March 1829 by A. Diabelli & Co. in Vienna.

This Urtext edition is based on the authoritative musical text of the “New Schubert Edition”. An informative Foreword and valuable notes on the performance practice of Schubert’s time (including articulation, use of pedal, ornamentation) with a special focus on Schubert’s characteristic notation of accent markings of varying lengths introduce the fantasy. The Critical Commentary (Eng) lists relevant readings regarding interpretation. The new edition is published in a reader-friendly landscape format with parts for Primo and Secondo and practical page turns. Schubert’s draft’s and fragments are accessible via the Bärenreiter website.