I. Maestoso
II. Adagio. Sehr feierlich
III. Scherzo. Nicht schnell – Trio. Langsam
IV. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell

Bruckner completed the Sixth Symphony remarkably quickly by his standards. The first sketches date from September 1879, and the opening movement (without orchestration) was committed to paper in only three days. He completed the slow movement in November and by January 1880, had also polished off the scherzo. He then put the work aside, but encouraged by the successful premiere of his Fourth Symphony (in February 1881), decided to finish the work as fast as he could. The speed is understandable.

The Fourth Symphony was a true breakthrough in his career: “Bruckner enjoyed a great success and from this day forward we must regard him as one of the most important of our composers” wrote the critic of the Wiener Abendpost. Probably Bruckner felt that the Sixth Symphony, with its lighter mood (Bruckner described it as being “impudent”) and transparent orchestration would be more accessible to audiences than the already completed but complex Fifth Symphony, and more liable to keep him in their favour.

As so often, Bruckner quite misjudged his audience. The symphony was only performed in its entirety after his death in 1899, conducted by Gustav Mahler. It was not a great success then and has never attained much popularity ever since, being overshadowed by the Fourth, Fifth and Seventh symphonies in public affection. However, as the English analyst and composer Robert Simpson noted, “the symphony's themes are remarkably expressive and flexible, their harmonies refined and subtle while the orchestration is perhaps the most inventive of all his symphonies. The classical formal principals are naturally and obviously incorporated into the language of the symphony and the two Viennese masters – Brahms and Bruckner – were never so close.” Others have argued that the mood of the Sixth Symphony makes it the Bruckner equivalent of Beethoven's Pastoral symphony. This is most apparent in the first movement.

However, Bruckner's contemporaries suspected that the otherwise misogynistic composer had fallen in love with a young girl while composing this symphony. It was a unique moment in Bruckner's life and oeuvre. The Adagio (which Sir Donald Tovey believed seems to be disclosing some deep held secret) bears the imprint of this feeling. Bruckner scholars know of a seventeen year old girl called Marie Bartl, whom Bruckner met  when returning from a concert series in Switzerland (Bruckner was one of the supreme organists of his day) he stopped off at the Oberammergaub, to watch a passion play. One of the actresses was Marie whom the 56 year old composer waited for after the performance. They exchanged letters for a few months and Bruckner even considered marriage, which almost certainly frightened away the young girl who broke off the relationship.

The relatively slow Scherzo is also unique in Bruckner's oeuvre. Rather than the customary evocation with rustic energy of an ancient unspoiled human world, we are led into intangible, obscure fantasy territory. The finale not only brings the music to an emotional climax but also thematically quotes all that has preceded it.