Clara Schumann, Robert's widow, later claimed on the first page of the score to the symphony—as published in 1882 as part of her husband's complete works (Robert Schumanns Werke, Herausgegeben von Clara Schumann, published by Breitkopf & Härtel)—that the symphony had merely been sketched in 1841 but was only fully orchestrated ("vollständig instrumentiert") in 1851. However, this was untrue, and Johannes Brahms, who greatly preferred the earlier version of the symphony, published that version in 1891 despite Clara's strenuous objections.

Date of composition 1841 (revised in 1851)
Premiered 1841, December 6th in Leipzig, Germany
First published 1853, Breitkopf und Härtel in Leipzig, Germany
Type Symphony
Tonality D Minor
Catalogue Op. 120
Approx. duration 30 minutes
Instruments Orchestra
In listings Famous Works
Autotranslations beta Robert Schumann: Symphonie n°4 en ré mineur, Op. 120
Robert Schumann: Sinfonia n. 4 in re minore, Op. 120
Robert Schumann: Sinfonie Nr. 4 d-moll, Op. 120