Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in D major (Mozart)
Encyclopedia
The Rondo for Piano and Orchestra in D major, K. 382 is a three movement concert rondo scored for piano and orchestra that was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
. It was intended by Mozart to be a substitute finale to his Piano Concerto No. 5 in D major
.
to Vienna
in 1781, where he needed to gain a reputation and a subsequent secure income. He did this through composition, teaching and piano performances in concerts. As he did not have too many original piano concertos to his name this was an area where Mozart could draw work from. His 5th piano concerto had been a great success in Mannheim
, which he had visited on his 1777 journey to Paris
. Thus, he revised the work to make it more suitable for his Viennese audience at the upcoming important Lenten concert on the 3rd March 1782. This led to the composition of the Rondo in D in the months before the concert, where it was performed for the first time. The Rondo was a more tuneful alternative to its predecessor and thus it was very popular with the audience; indeed, in the concert it was encored.
s, two trumpet
s, two horn
s, timpani
and strings
.. The Rondo uses this ensemble too, but adds one flute
.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
. It was intended by Mozart to be a substitute finale to his Piano Concerto No. 5 in D major
Piano Concerto No. 5 (Mozart)
Piano Concerto No. 5 in D major, K. 175, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1773, at the age of 17. It is Mozart's first fully original piano concerto; his previous efforts were based on works by other composers.-Instrumentation:...
.
Background
The piece was composed in early 1782 by Mozart as an alternative final movement to his Piano Concerto No. 5, a piece he composed in December 1773 when he was 18. He composed the Rondo for a number of reasons. He considered the use of a Sonata-form movement too complex for the movement's context, and thus he wrote this alternative ending in a variation form. Mozart had also just moved from his hometown SalzburgSalzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
in 1781, where he needed to gain a reputation and a subsequent secure income. He did this through composition, teaching and piano performances in concerts. As he did not have too many original piano concertos to his name this was an area where Mozart could draw work from. His 5th piano concerto had been a great success in Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, which he had visited on his 1777 journey to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Thus, he revised the work to make it more suitable for his Viennese audience at the upcoming important Lenten concert on the 3rd March 1782. This led to the composition of the Rondo in D in the months before the concert, where it was performed for the first time. The Rondo was a more tuneful alternative to its predecessor and thus it was very popular with the audience; indeed, in the concert it was encored.
Instrumentation
As it is in effect a substitute finale to the Piano Concerto No. 5, the instrumentation for the Rondo is very nearly the same. Other than the solo piano, the Concerto's instrumentation consists of two oboeOboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, two trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, two horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
and strings
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
.. The Rondo uses this ensemble too, but adds one flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
.