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| The first movement opens with a majestic introduction with fanfares heard in the brass section. This is followed by an Allegro in ], |
The first movement opens with a majestic introduction with fanfares heard in the brass section. This is followed by an Allegro in ], several features of which - the loud outburst following the soft opening, for instance - connect it with the ] school that influenced the earliest of his symphonies. The independence of the winds and greater interplay of the parts in general, and the fact that the second theme group in those earlier symphonies was (to paraphrase ]) practically always completely trivial, are just a few of the points that distinguish this movement from those works. The second group contains a particularly felicitous "walking theme" which, surprisingly for music so exquisite, is meticulously arranged in twenty-five measures (5+5+5+5+5) of 3/4 time. | ||
| The slow movement, in abridged sonata form, i.e. no development section (), starts quietly in the ] and expands into the rest of the orchestra. Quiet main material and energetic, somewhat agitated transitions characterize this movement. Comparison with the ] of ] suggests the latter may have had this work at the back of his mind. | The slow movement, in abridged sonata form, i.e. no development section (), starts quietly in the ] and expands into the rest of the orchestra. Quiet main material and energetic, somewhat agitated transitions characterize this movement. Comparison with the ] of ] suggests the latter may have had this work at the back of his mind. | ||
| The work has a very interesting minuet and trio. The trio is an Austrian folk dance called a "landler" and features a clarinet solo. The forceful Menuetto is set off by the trio's unusual tint of the second clarinet playing ]s in its low (]) register. | The work has a very interesting minuet and trio. The trio is an Austrian folk dance called a "landler" and features a clarinet solo. The forceful Menuetto is set off by the trio's unusual tint of the second clarinet playing ]s in its low (]) register, which combines with the horns to create an impression of the "calliope" instrument associated with a merry-go-round. | ||
| The finale is another sonata form whose main |
The racy horse-and-carriage finale is another sonata form whose main motiv, like that of the later string quintet in D, is mostly a ], here ascending and descending, suggestive of a wheel turning or maybe, at the very end, a horse's whinny. The ] section is dramatic; there is no ], but both the exposition, and the development through the end of the recapitulation, are requested to be and often are, repeated. | ||
| ==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
Revision as of 00:58, 18 July 2008
The Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 543, was completed 26 June, 1788.
Composition and premiere
The 39th Symphony is the first of a set of three (his last symphonies) that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. No. 40 was completed 25 July and No. 41 10 August. Around the same time, Mozart was writing his piano trios in E and C major, his sonate facile, and a violin sonatina. Mozart biographer Alfred Einstein has suggested that Mozart took Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 26, in the same key, as a model.
It seems to be impossible to determine the date of the premiere of the 39th Symphony on the basis of currently available evidence; in fact, it cannot be established whether the symphony was ever performed in the composer's lifetime. According to Deutsch (1965), around the time Mozart wrote the work, he was preparing to hold a series of "Concerts in the Casino", in a new casino in the Spiegelgasse owned by Philipp Otto. Mozart even sent a pair of tickets for this series to his friend Michael Puchberg. But it seems impossible to determine whether the concert series was held, or was cancelled for lack of interest. In addition, in the period up to the end of his life, Mozart participated in various other concerts whose program included an unidentified symphony; these also could have been the occasion of the premiere of the 39th (for details, see Symphony No. 40 (Mozart)).
In modern times, the work is part of the core symphonic repertoire and is frequently performed and recorded.
Instrumentation and movements
The symphony is scored for flute, pairs of clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets, timpani and strings, and consists of four movements:
The first movement opens with a majestic introduction with fanfares heard in the brass section. This is followed by an Allegro in sonata form, several features of which - the loud outburst following the soft opening, for instance - connect it with the galant school that influenced the earliest of his symphonies. The independence of the winds and greater interplay of the parts in general, and the fact that the second theme group in those earlier symphonies was (to paraphrase Alfred Einstein) practically always completely trivial, are just a few of the points that distinguish this movement from those works. The second group contains a particularly felicitous "walking theme" which, surprisingly for music so exquisite, is meticulously arranged in twenty-five measures (5+5+5+5+5) of 3/4 time.
The slow movement, in abridged sonata form, i.e. no development section (), starts quietly in the strings and expands into the rest of the orchestra. Quiet main material and energetic, somewhat agitated transitions characterize this movement. Comparison with the fifth symphony of Franz Schubert suggests the latter may have had this work at the back of his mind.
The work has a very interesting minuet and trio. The trio is an Austrian folk dance called a "landler" and features a clarinet solo. The forceful Menuetto is set off by the trio's unusual tint of the second clarinet playing arpeggios in its low (chalumeau) register, which combines with the horns to create an impression of the "calliope" instrument associated with a merry-go-round.
The racy horse-and-carriage finale is another sonata form whose main motiv, like that of the later string quintet in D, is mostly a scale, here ascending and descending, suggestive of a wheel turning or maybe, at the very end, a horse's whinny. The development section is dramatic; there is no coda, but both the exposition, and the development through the end of the recapitulation, are requested to be and often are, repeated.
Notes
- Deutsch 1965, 320
- Deutsch 1965, 320
- "But, as regards the E-flat Symphony , it was probably the beginning of a symphony by Michael of 14 August 1783—Mozart was then in Salzburg and may have become acquainted with the work—that supplied the stimulus for the first Allegro: Ex. 7 Similarly with the Adagio affettuoso of the Haydn work and Mozart's Andante." (Einstein 1945, 127)
- Deutsch 1965, 320
References
- Deutsch, Otto Erich (1965) Mozart: A Documentary Biography. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
- Einstein, Alfred (1945) Mozart: His Character, His Work, translated into English by Arthur Mendel & Nathan Broder. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
External links
- Sinfonie in E-flat KV 543: Score and critical report (in German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
- St. Louis Symphony Program Notes on Mozart Symphony No. 39
- Free scores by Symphony No. 39 at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)