10th Symphony (Mozart)

The Symphony in G major Köchelverzeichnis 74 was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1770 during his first trip to Italy. According to the Old Mozart Edition, the symphony bears the number 10.

General

Painting by Mozart by Saverio dalla Rosa, January 1770

At the end of the first movement, Mozart wrote a praise to God on the autograph (“Finis Laus Deo”), but otherwise both sentence names and a date from his handwriting are missing. Therefore, the exact date of origin is unclear: In the sixth edition of the Köchel catalog (1964) it is stated "probably 1770", while Alfred Einstein (1937) wrote in the third edition "December 1770" and said the work was created in Milan. Wolfgang Hildesheimer (1977), on the other hand, shows “October 1770” as the period of origin.

The publisher Johann Anton André wrote “ Overture to the opera Mitridate ” above the first sentence , but the last three words have been crossed out again. It is unclear whether the symphony was originally conceived as an overture to this opera (Köchelverzeichnis (KV) 87), which was written in the same period, or whether it was in a different or no connection to it. After all, KV 74 is in the style of an Italian overture and could therefore, at least in theory, also be an opera prelude. Ultimately, Mozart used another three-movement overture as an introduction to Mitridate, which was popular as a concert symphony in the 18th century.

To the music

Instrumentation: two oboes , two horns in G, two violins , viola , cello , double bass . In contemporary orchestras it was also customary to use bassoon and harpsichord (if available in the orchestra) to reinforce the bass voice or as a continuo , even without separate notation .

Performance duration: approx. 7–8 minutes.

With the terms used here, based on the sonata form, it should be noted that this scheme was designed in the first half of the 19th century (see there) and can therefore only be transferred to the Symphony KV 74 with restrictions. Sentences 1 and 2 correspond even more to the two-part form, in which the second part of the sentence is viewed as a modified iteration of the first ("exposure"). - The description and structure of the sentences given here is to be understood as a suggestion. Depending on the point of view, other delimitations and interpretations are also possible.

First movement: Allegro

G major, 4/4 time, 117 bars

The movement is based on a sequence of mostly two- or four-bar, repeated motifs. As is typical of the Italian overture of this period, it runs without repetitions and without pronounced development.

The movement begins as a sequence of G major chord strokes and an upward and downward eighth note movement of the violins, separated by pauses, continued in the winds. This four-bar motif ("first theme" ") is repeated. Similar movement beginnings can be found in the overture-like first movements of the symphonies KV 95 and KV 97 , which were probably composed during Mozart's first trip to Italy (see there). The following passage (measure 9–25) is consistently in the forte like the beginning of the movement. It contains a sequence of four motifs with broken chords in the bass over tremolo , chord figures interrupted by pauses, decorative phrases, trills and runs. From bar 25, A major stabilizes as a double dominant to the following Dominant D major.

The second theme (bars 25–37, D major) begins on a “carpet” of syncopations of the 2nd violin. It consists of the repetition and sequencing of a two-measure motif with separate movement. The main part is the 1st violin. A short tremolo passage concludes.

The final group begins with a contrasting four-bar motif, which is structured from two corresponding phrases with typical jumps in seventh downwards: Phrase 1 ends “openly” in A major and is only played by the violins, Phrase 2 ends “closed” in D major in the forte of the whole orchestra. The motif is repeated with phrase 2 changed. The exposition ends in bar 54 with a trill motif and an alternation between legato and pizzicato .

Instead of a development based on material from the exposition, the following short transition (bars 55–60) brings a dialogue between the two oboes over the organ point of the horns on D (similar structure in the first movement of the symphony KV 73 ). The structure of the recapitulation (bars 61 ff.) Corresponds to the exposition. The section from bar 112 (syncopation, tremolo, runs) can be seen as a transition to the second movement, into which the allegro seamlessly merges. The harmonic reinterpretation of G major from the tonic to the dominant of the following C major takes place.

Wolfgang Gersthofer (2007) points out the similarity of bars 17 ff. With (also) bars 17 ff. Of the symphony KV 95 and bars 11 ff. Of the overture to the opera Artasere by Johann Christian Bach .

Second movement: Andante

C major, 3/8 time, 82 bars

The first two bars continue the movement of the Allegro in the new 3/8 time before the change in tempo manifests itself audibly with a calmer eighth note movement. As in the previous movement, the andante is characterized by the loose sequence of smaller, mostly repeated motifs; however, no clear second issue can be identified here. With its calm eighth note movement in the string legato, the opening motif has a vocal character. In the further course of the movement, a longer passage with a stepped movement of the 1st violin over the "mumbling" accompaniment of the other strings should be emphasized. The catchy final motif consists of ascending and descending, offset movement with a short dash of color from the wind instruments. The first part ends in measure 43.

After just four bars of transition, the almost literal repetition of the first part follows, with the harmonies referring to C major (instead of G major in the first part). Amazingly, the second part does not begin with the vocal string motif, but with the two "transition bars", which still have the more restless character of the Allegro.

Third movement: Allegro

G major, 2/4 time, 129 bars

The 16-bar, lively refrain of this rondo consists of an eight-bar front and a trailer (these in turn consist of four-bar phrases ), with the front clause only being performed by the violins on the piano.

The first couplet (bars 17–32) initially sequences an ascending triad over G major, E minor and C major, but then goes with virtuoso runs and chords over A major to D major.

After repeating the chorus (bars 33–48), the second couplet follows in G minor piano, which is given a somewhat exotic (“Turkish”) timbre due to the “grinder figures” and chromatic elements. Further examples of this kind can be found in the violin concerto KV 219 and in the piano sonata KV 331 . These pieces represent a style that Mozart's contemporaries (e.g. Michael Haydn , Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf ) developed from the folk music of the peasants and gypsies in the border area between Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, with which they imitated or imitated the music of their Muslim neighbors parodied. The couplet is in three parts according to an ABA structure, the middle part is in B flat major.

The refrain (bars 89-104) is followed by a final section with chord melodies, which initially takes up the figure with the virtuoso run from bars 24 ff.

Individual references, comments

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Neal Zaslaw: Mozart's earliest symphonies. Symphony in G major, KV 74 (No. 10). Text contribution to: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Early Symphonies 1764–1771 , German translation by Henning Weber from 1982. Recording by the Academy of Ancient Music ; Concertmaster Jaap Schröder, continuo: Christopher Hogwood. Decca Record, London 1986.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Volker Scherliess : The symphonies. In: Silke Leopold (Ed.): Mozart-Handbuch. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2005, ISBN 3-7618-2021-6 , pp. 277-278.
3. ^ Franz Giegling, Alexander Weinmann , Gerd Sievers : Chronological-thematic directory of all of Wolfgang Amade Mozart's sound works. In addition to the information about the lost, started, transferred, dubious and superseded compositions by Dr. Ludwig Ritter von Köchel. Sixth edition. Breitkopf & Härtel-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1964, 1023 pp.
4. ^ Alfred Einstein: Chronological-thematic directory of all of Wolfgang Amade Mozart's music works. In addition to the information about the lost, started, transferred, dubious and superseded compositions by Dr. Ludwig Ritter von Köchel. Third edition, edited by Alfred Einstein. Breitkopf & Härtel-Verlag, Leipzig 1937, 984 pp.
5. ^ Wolfgang Hildesheimer: Mozart . Verlag Volk und Welt, Berlin 1988 (first edition from 1977), 536 pp.
6. ^ Wolfgang Gersthofer: Symphonies KV 16-134. In: Joachim Brügge, Claudia Maria Knispel (Ed.): The Mozart Handbook, Volume 1: Mozart's orchestral works and concerts. Laaber-Verlag, Laaber 2007, ISBN 3-8900-7461-8 , pp. 15-27.

See also

• List of symphonies by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Web links, notes

• 10th Symphony (Mozart) : Score and critical report in the New Mozart Edition
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia in Sol, K. 74. PR 784, Ricordi-Verlag, Milan 1955 (pocket score).