Symphony No. 38 (Mozart)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony No. 38 in D major, K
. 504, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
in late 1786. It was premiered in Prague on January 19, 1787, a few weeks after Le nozze di Figaro
opened there. It is popularly known as the Prague Symphony. Mozart's autograph thematic catalogue bears December 6, 1786, as the date of composition.
Other works written by Mozart about contemporary with this symphony include the twenty-fifth piano concerto
and the piano trio in B-flat (K. 503 and K. 502, respectively) the former also written in December 1786, the latter written in November. The aria scena and rondo Ch'io mi scordi di te?
K.505 for soprano and orchestra with piano obligato, regarded by Girdlestone
in his book on Mozart and his Piano Concertos as a work on the same level, also dates from the same period. This work would be called No. 37 if the K. 444
work (mostly by Michael Haydn
, except for the slow introduction, which is by Mozart) was removed from the numbering.
Although Mozart's popularity among the Viennese waxed and waned, he was consistently popular among the Bohemians and had a devoted following in Prague. A piece appearing in the Prager Neue Zeitung shortly after Mozart's death expresses this sentiment: "Mozart seems to have written for the people of Bohemia, his music is understood nowhere better than in Prague, and even in the countryside it is widely loved." The Prague Symphony was written in gratitude for their high esteem.
or the 32nd
), the four-movement symphonies having a minuet in addition. By the time Mozart wrote his Prague symphony, however, the symphony was no longer a step away from the opera overture, no longer bound to this tradition, so that the symphony without a minuet could be, and was, similar in weight to his other symphonies, different mostly in the lack of that minuet and not in overall specific gravity.
The Prague Symphony was scored for two flute
s, two oboe
s, two bassoon
s, two horns, two trumpet
s, timpani
and strings
.
The work has the following three movements
:
The first movement begins with a slow introduction, which is atypical for Mozart—he only does this in two of his other symphonies, No. 36 ("Linz")
and No. 39
. The introduction gives way to the main portion of the movement, in which six melodies are developed and recapitulated in a very contrapuntal
example of sonata-allegro form
. Certain phrases in the first movement bear a resemblance to the Overture of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Moreover, the first movement is composed in a similar form to that of the Overture: Adagio–Allegro. The allegro proper is written in the style of a fugue
with the musical material of the climax being similar to that of the climax of the fugue in the overture to Die Zauberflöte. Furthermore, certain musical material from the beginning of the first movement has been quoted by Rossini in his overture to The Barber of Seville
. This overture, too, is similar in form to that of the first movement of this symphony, a slow introduction with a loud pronouncement of the tonic
followed by a quiet or piano section in which tension is built then resolved in forte
. Musical material found throughout the first minor section of the first movement is similar to that of the overture to Mozart's Don Giovanni
. Furthermore, the orchestral effects during this section are similar: winds and timpani announcing the chord with strings playing an even rhythmed harmony with the chord.
The second movement's structure is not far removed from one found in a typical Mozart symphony dating to around this period although the music shifts into the minor-key in a movement of contrasting moods. Though it is structurally similar, harmonically it is unstable (as another G major slow movement, that of the 16th piano concerto
, had been earlier, as Girdlestone points out, and for somewhat similar reasons), and there are several polyphonic surprises.
The third movement is a lively Presto in which the flute
plays a prominent role, especially in counterpointing the main melody in the development section. This movement "shows Mozart in an unusual mood, nearer to Beethoven's boisterousness than his fastidious taste normally allowed him to go."
Köchel-Verzeichnis
The Köchel-Verzeichnis is a complete, chronological catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which was originally created by Ludwig von Köchel. It is abbreviated K or KV. For example, Mozart's Requiem in D minor was, according to Köchel's counting, the 626th piece Mozart composed....
. 504, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
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...
in late 1786. It was premiered in Prague on January 19, 1787, a few weeks after Le nozze di Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro
Le nozze di Figaro, ossia la folle giornata , K. 492, is an opera buffa composed in 1786 in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, based on a stage comedy by Pierre Beaumarchais, La folle journée, ou le Mariage de Figaro .Although the play by...
opened there. It is popularly known as the Prague Symphony. Mozart's autograph thematic catalogue bears December 6, 1786, as the date of composition.
Other works written by Mozart about contemporary with this symphony include the twenty-fifth piano concerto
Piano Concerto No. 25 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503, was completed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on December 4, 1786, alongside the Prague Symphony, K.504. Although two more concertos would later follow, this work is the last of the twelve great piano concertos written in Vienna between 1784 and...
and the piano trio in B-flat (K. 503 and K. 502, respectively) the former also written in December 1786, the latter written in November. The aria scena and rondo Ch'io mi scordi di te?
Ch'io mi scordi di te?
Ch'io mi scordi di te? ... Non temer, amato bene, K. 505, is a concert aria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for soprano, piano obbligato and orchestra, composed 1786 in Vienna; it is often considered to be one of his greatest compositions in this genre.-History:...
K.505 for soprano and orchestra with piano obligato, regarded by Girdlestone
Cuthbert Girdlestone
Cuthbert Morton Girdlestone was a British musicologist and literary scholar. He was educated at Cambridge and the Sorbonne, and thereafter took up the chair in French in Armstrong College, later to be King's College in Newcastle in 1926, a position he held until 1960...
in his book on Mozart and his Piano Concertos as a work on the same level, also dates from the same period. This work would be called No. 37 if the K. 444
Symphony No. 37 (Mozart)
The so-called Symphony No. 37 in G major, K. 444/425a, is an introduction by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a symphony in G by Michael Haydn.- History :...
work (mostly by Michael Haydn
Michael Haydn
Johann Michael Haydn was an Austrian composer of the classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn.-Life:...
, except for the slow introduction, which is by Mozart) was removed from the numbering.
Prague
- See also: Mozart and PragueMozart and PragueThe composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is often said to have had a special relationship with the city of Prague and its people. Mozart biographer Maynard Solomon writes of...
Although Mozart's popularity among the Viennese waxed and waned, he was consistently popular among the Bohemians and had a devoted following in Prague. A piece appearing in the Prager Neue Zeitung shortly after Mozart's death expresses this sentiment: "Mozart seems to have written for the people of Bohemia, his music is understood nowhere better than in Prague, and even in the countryside it is widely loved." The Prague Symphony was written in gratitude for their high esteem.
Form
The early classical symphony of the 18th century would either have three movements or four (or one movement in three recognizable sections, like the 26thSymphony No. 26 (Mozart)
The Symphony No. 26 in E-flat major, K. 184/161a, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and completed March 30, 1773, one month after he returned from his third Italian tour....
or the 32nd
Symphony No. 32 (Mozart)
The Symphony No. 32 in G major, K. 318, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1779, after his return from Paris.The symphony is in the form of an Italian overture, consisting of three brief movements that follow one another without break:...
), the four-movement symphonies having a minuet in addition. By the time Mozart wrote his Prague symphony, however, the symphony was no longer a step away from the opera overture, no longer bound to this tradition, so that the symphony without a minuet could be, and was, similar in weight to his other symphonies, different mostly in the lack of that minuet and not in overall specific gravity.
The Prague Symphony was scored for two 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...
s, two oboe
Oboe
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 bassoon
Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...
s, two horns, 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, 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 work has the following three movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Adagio—Allegro, 4/4 (Sonata formSonata formSonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...
) - Andante in G majorG majorG major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
, 6/8 (Sonata form) - Finale (Presto), 2/4
The first movement begins with a slow introduction, which is atypical for Mozart—he only does this in two of his other symphonies, No. 36 ("Linz")
Symphony No. 36 (Mozart)
The Symphony No. 36 in C major, KV 425, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during a stopover in the Austrian town of Linz on his and his wife's way back home to Vienna from Salzburg in late 1783. The entire symphony was written in four days to accommodate the local count's announcement, upon...
and No. 39
Symphony No. 39 (Mozart)
The Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 543, was completed on 26 June 1788.-Composition and premiere:The 39th Symphony is the first of a set of three that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. No. 40 was completed 25 July and No. 41 on 10...
. The introduction gives way to the main portion of the movement, in which six melodies are developed and recapitulated in a very contrapuntal
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
example of sonata-allegro form
Sonata form
Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...
. Certain phrases in the first movement bear a resemblance to the Overture of Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. Moreover, the first movement is composed in a similar form to that of the Overture: Adagio–Allegro. The allegro proper is written in the style of a fugue
Fugue
In music, a fugue is a compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject that is introduced at the beginning in imitation and recurs frequently in the course of the composition....
with the musical material of the climax being similar to that of the climax of the fugue in the overture to Die Zauberflöte. Furthermore, certain musical material from the beginning of the first movement has been quoted by Rossini in his overture to The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville
The Barber of Seville, or The Futile Precaution is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini with a libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based on Pierre Beaumarchais's comedy Le Barbier de Séville , which was originally an opéra comique, or a mixture of spoken play with music...
. This overture, too, is similar in form to that of the first movement of this symphony, a slow introduction with a loud pronouncement of the tonic
Tonic (music)
In music, the tonic is the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord...
followed by a quiet or piano section in which tension is built then resolved in forte
Forte
Forte/Forté may refer to:*Forte, but often ;. A person's strong point e.g. Preparing gourmet cuisine is his forte. The term is derived from the French fort meaning strength, which does not include an acute accent. The latter pronunciation is likely due to a confusion as a false cognate with the...
. Musical material found throughout the first minor section of the first movement is similar to that of the overture to Mozart's Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni
Don Giovanni is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and with an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It was premiered by the Prague Italian opera at the Teatro di Praga on October 29, 1787...
. Furthermore, the orchestral effects during this section are similar: winds and timpani announcing the chord with strings playing an even rhythmed harmony with the chord.
The second movement's structure is not far removed from one found in a typical Mozart symphony dating to around this period although the music shifts into the minor-key in a movement of contrasting moods. Though it is structurally similar, harmonically it is unstable (as another G major slow movement, that of the 16th piano concerto
Piano Concerto No. 16 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 16 in D Major, KV. 451 is a concertante work for piano, or pianoforte, and orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart composed the concerto for performance at a series of concerts at the Vienna venues of the Trattnerhof and the Burgtheater in the first quarter of 1784,...
, had been earlier, as Girdlestone points out, and for somewhat similar reasons), and there are several polyphonic surprises.
The third movement is a lively Presto in which the 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...
plays a prominent role, especially in counterpointing the main melody in the development section. This movement "shows Mozart in an unusual mood, nearer to Beethoven's boisterousness than his fastidious taste normally allowed him to go."