The Study Symphony (often catalogued as the Symphony No. 00) was composed, along with the Overture in G minor and the 112th Psalm, at the conclusion of Bruckner's studies in form and orchestration with Otto Kitzler. Bruckner clearly considered the work a student exercise, going so far as to indicate that in the heading; however, the fact that Bruckner did not destroy or suppress the score suggests that he attached some merit to it. The Symphony No. 00 is a work of its time, showing the clear influence of Schumann; yet at certain points the voice of the mature Bruckner makes itself heard. In the first movement, the addition of a fourth subject to the otherwise conventional sonata form is a distinct touch, showing the composer's already-evident inclination toward form expansion. The slow movement is an andante, lovely in itself although not yet inhabiting the spiritually introspective world of the later adagios. The following scherzo, however, already shows Bruckner's knack for producing happy, vital, and infectious movements in that genre. And while the finale has been described as "academic" or, at best, in step with its times, there are premonitory brass chorales and a passage in the coda which anticipates a corresponding passage in the Eighth Symphony. Throughout, the orchestration is effective and shows a sense of variety and color, even if it is not characteristic of Bruckner's later technique in that area. While Bruckner may have been correct in not wanting the F minor symphony to be part of his canon, it is a fascinating part of Bruckner-study, often giving tantalizing glimpses of things to come.

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