Symphony No. 40 (Mozart)
|
|
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550, in 1788.
The 40th Symphony is sometimes referred to as the “Great” G minor symphony, to distinguish it from the “Little” G minor symphony, No. 25. The two are the only minor-key symphonies Mozart wrote.
| Contents |
Composition
Mozart wrote his 40th symphony during an exceptionally productive period of just a few weeks in 1788, during which time he also completed his 39th and 41st symphonies. It has been speculated that he was preparing these works for a planned journey to England which never occurred.
In fact, there is no documentary evidence that the 40th Symphony was performed in Mozart's lifetime at all. There is one clue, namely the fact that the work exists in two versions, the initial version from 1788 plus a later revision in which Mozart added parts for two clarinets and altered the oboe parts. It seems fairly likely that this revision would have been created with a specific performance in mind.
The music
The symphony is scored (in its revised version) for flute, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, bassoon, 2 horns, and a string section containing the usual first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. Notably missing are trumpets and timpani.
The work is in four movements, in the usual arrangement (fast movement, slow movement, minuet, fast movement) for a classical-style symphony:
Every movement but the third is in sonata form; the minuet and trio are in the usual ternary form.
The first movement begins darkly with a pulse in the violas, soon joined by the first subject. This technique of “dropping” the listener immediately into the action, foregoing a formal introduction, would become a favorite technique of the Romantics. Examples of this technique used in Romantic music include the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, or the first movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3.
The second movement is a lyrical work in 6/8 time, in E flat major, the subdominant of the relative major of the overall G minor key of the symphony.
The minuet begins with an angry, cross-accented hemiola rhythm; various commentators have asserted that while the music is labeled "minuet," it would hardly be suitable for dancing. The contrasting gentle trio section, in G major, alternates the playing of the string section with that of the woodwinds.
The fourth movement is written largely in eight-bar phrases, following the generally tendency toward rhythmic squareness in the finales of classical-era symphonies. A remarkable modulating passage occurs at the beginning of the development section, in which every tone but one in the chromatic scale is played. Unlike many minor-key finales of the Classical era, this movement remains resolutely in the minor mode to the very end.
Reception
This work has elicited varying interpretations from critics. Robert Schumann regarded it as possessing “Grecian lightness and grace”. Donald Francis Tovey saw in it the character of opera buffa. Almost certainly, however, the most common perception today is that the symphony is tragic in tone and intensely emotional; for example, Charles Rosen (in The Classical Style) has called the symphony "a work of passion, violence, and grief".
Although interpretations differ, the symphony is unquestionably one of Mozart's most greatly admired works, and it is frequently performed and recorded.
Other
Like many famous works of classical music, Mozart's 40th symphony plays an occasional role in popular culture. For example, in 1971 a "pop" version by Waldo de Los Rios became a hit single in the UK; some individuals cause their cellular telephones to ring to the first few notes; and so on.
External link
Template:Commons The William and Gayle Cook Music Library at the Indiana University School of Music has posted the full score (http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/bgn8245/index.html) of the symphony.de:40. Sinfonie (Mozart) ja:交響曲第40番 (モーツァルト) sv:Symfoni No. 40 G-moll