Friedrich Witt - Symphony No. 14 "Jena" (1793?)

Friedrich Jeremias Witt (November 8, 1770 – January 3, 1836) was a German composer and cellist. He is perhaps best known as the likely author of a Symphony in C major known as the Jena Symphony, once attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven.

Symphony No. 14 in C Major (c. 1793)

1. Adagio - Allegro vivace
2. Adagio cantabile (8:45)
3. Menuetto e Trio: Maestoso (14:56)
4. Finale: Allegro (18:22)

London Mozart Players conducted by Matthias Bamert

The so-called "Jena Symphony" is a symphony that was at one time attributed to Ludwig van Beethoven. The symphony was discovered by Fritz Stein in 1909 in the archives of a concert society in Jena, from which it derived its name. Stein believed it to be the work of Beethoven and it was so published by Breitkopf und Härtel in 1911. It is now known that the piece was the work of Friedrich Witt (born the same year as Beethoven).

Stein thought it was quite likely an early work by Beethoven and pointed out some stylistic similarities in the preface to the score. From each of the four movements he singled out a few passages he considered especially Beethoven-like. Stein's belief in Beethoven's authorship was strengthened by the fact that Beethoven's letters show that prior to writing his own Symphony No. 1 he tried to write a C major symphony with Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 97 as a model, and it is easy to find parallels between the Jena Symphony and Haydn's No. 97.

When H. C. Robbins Landon found another copy of the work at the archives of Göttweig Abbey with Witt's name on it, he convinced most other scholars that the work was in fact by Witt. Ralph Leavis, for example, condemned the work as "a piece of plagiarism, put together almost with scissors and paste from reminiscences of Haydn."

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.