25th Symphony (Mozart)

The Symphony in G minor Köchelverzeichnis 183 was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Salzburg in 1773. He was then 17 years old. According to the Old Mozart Edition, the symphony bears the number 25.

General

Mozart in 1777

In 1773 Mozart was the archbishop concertmaster in Salzburg. He completed the symphony Köchelverzeichnis (KV) 183 on October 5, 1773. This suggests that the work was at least partially arranged in parallel with the symphony in B flat major, KV 182 , with KV 182 having a completely different character than KV 183. For further general information on the origins see KV 162 .

The symphony contains some structures that were unusual for Mozart until then and which differ from the gallant, entertaining style of previous compositions: KV 183 is his first symphony in minor (apart from the symphony KV Anh. 220 (16a) in a -Moll and the symphony / overture to the oratorio La Betulia liberata KV 118 in D minor) and is unusually expressive (use of numerous syncopations , dissonances, tremolo and unison passages, differentiated dynamics and rhythm). These are typical features of the Sturm und Drang period, in the context of which the work is also discussed by several authors. In the older literature, attempts are sometimes made to assign KV 183 to a life crisis of Mozart:

“Furthermore, the G minor symphony (...) is very romantic, and it is amazing that a seventeen year old can feel so painfully and express these feelings. (...) Both works express the same painful feelings with almost identical means. But while Mozart could unfortunately have said before Musset in 1788 : 'Nothing makes us as great as great pain', in 1773 he had no reason to do so. So why is he suffering? (...) intuition? Premonition? Is there any reason at all? Are we not faced with the eternal miracle, the inexplicable secret of 'genius'? "

“It is possible that Mozart wrote this self-confession, which no longer has anything in common with the social art of that time, nor the liberating air of the Haydn finals , let alone the Beethoven finals, in a gloomy hour, because he was aware of his cramped situation overpowered in Salzburg, it is also possible that the archbishop, whose view of music could not possibly approve of such a departure from 'good decency', reproached him. "

Wolfgang Hildesheimer rejects such interpretations: "If you think the error through to the end, you would have to come to the conclusion that Goethe had suicidal intentions when he wrote the ' Werther '." Hildesheimer points out that Mozart wrote to his in letters from Italy Sister suggests passionate love; maybe that is a reason for the "crisis"? Perhaps Mozart also processed his hearing impressions from his stay in Vienna in 1773 with KV 183. Michael Kontarsky mentions symphonies by Joseph Haydn as possible reference works , especially his Symphony No. 39 , which is also in G minor and has four horns. It is also conceivable that it is simply an “experimental symphony” without any external reason - similar to the first movement of the symphony KV 184, also composed in 1773 .

When Mozart needed symphonies for a concert series in the 1780s, he had his father send him a collection of symphonies from around 1773 from Salzburg, including KV 183. Presumably for this reason he tried to erase the date in the autograph in order to To be able to present the work as a new composition (cf. KV 162 ).

To the music

Instrumentation: two oboes , four horns , two of them in Bb and two in G (in the second movement in Eb), violins I / II, viola , cello , double bass ; the bassoon is only notated separately in the Andante and in the trio of the minuet; in the other movements, as was customary at the time, it may have been used without writing to reinforce the bass part. The same is probably true for the harpsichord as a figured bass instrument , if available in the orchestra .

Performance time: approx. 25-30 minutes.

With the terms of the sonata form used here, 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 183 with restrictions. - 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 con brio

G minor, 4/4 time, 214 measures

The movement begins unusually with the “rhythmically moving” first theme: the orchestra plays (initially without the horns) the notes GD-E-flat-F sharp for one bar each in unison and forte, with a restless atmosphere due to the syncopation in the violins and viola arises. This figure merges into a unison movement consisting of an ascending chord, a sixteenth-note and a twist closing to the dominant in D major in dotted rhythm ("first theme", bars 1 to 12). The theme is now repeated twice as a variant in contrasting timbres: first in the forte, but with its own bass accompaniment in striding quarters, then piano with voice-leading, "plaintive" oboe in full-bar notes and calm string accompaniment. The continuation of the oboe melody ends pianissimo in D major.

The forte section from bar 29 connects the character to the head of the first theme: A four-bar motif is characteristic, which consists of an octave jump upwards in full-bar notes and a phrase with triple tone repetition. This motif appears at first underlaid with tremolo in the strings. From bar 37, the repeated notes of viola and bass are led through different keys (including B major, C minor, A minor, D minor), above that the violins play the syncopated rhythm from the beginning of the sentence together with an ascending and descending rhythm Chord in the tremolo. This tremolo chord dominates from measure 49 onwards. a. led to A minor and B minor until it reached F major in bar 58, which functions as the dominant to B major of the following second theme.

The second theme (bars 59–74, parallel tonic in B flat major) “sad and dancing at the same time” is in the piano and only for strings. In the four-bar first half, the voice-leading 1st violin decorates the theme with numerous suggestions, accompanied by syncopation of the 2nd violin and staccato quarters in the bass. The four-bar episode is characterized by its even eighth note motif with four-tone repetition. From bar 66 the theme is repeated as a variant with winds forte. The final group (bars 74 ff.) Concludes the exposition with upward and downward rolling sixteenth notes, the upward and downward tremolo chords and syncope accompaniment.

The implementation (83-116 bars) sets the tremolo movement from the end of the closing group initially continued seamlessly, but with chromatic enriched. From bar 87 a new rhythmic motif of four notes in C minor appears, which the strings play in a staggered manner and which reminds of the beginning of the fourth movement. In bar 97 there is an abrupt, contrasting change to the “resting phase”, which is structured in a similar way to bar 17 ff.: The oboe plays the head of the first theme with whole notes, underlaid by calm string accompaniment. This quiet passage is interrupted, however, by dramatic interjections from the whole orchestra in the unison tremolo.

The recapitulation (from bar 117) is structured similarly to the exposition. After repeating the development and recapitulation, Mozart ends the movement with a coda . This begins as an imitative variant of the first theme, but then spins the motif with its syncopations and closes the sentence “gloomy and great” in the tremolo of the violins over the formulated G minor triad in the bass.

Depending on the point of view, other sentence structures are also possible.

Second movement: Andante

E flat major, 2/4 time, 72 bars, strings with mutes

With its restrained, calm atmosphere, predominantly in the piano, the Andante contrasts with the previous movement. The first theme consists of a motif with three downward eighth notes, which occurs in the dialogue between upper parts (violins) and bass (bassoon, from measure 5 also cello and double bass) (“sigh motif”). From bar 8 the motif of sighs is spun in F minor. After a brief general pause, the second “theme” in the dominant B flat major follows in bar 15 with a contrasting timbre: above the tremolo carpet of the 2nd violin and accompanied by horn and oboe, the 1st violin plays a simple tone repetition motif in a pendulum-like alternation from B flat major and F major. The final group (bars 20–24) takes up the dialog-like structure at the beginning of the sentence as a variant.

The development (bars 25–39) uses material from the first theme and leads with a lot of chromatics from F minor through E flat major to B flat major. With a crescendo and the use of oboes and horns, the recapitulation announces itself from bar 36, which is reached after a short solo performance of the 1st violin with a lead to C-flat.

The recapitulation (bars 39 ff.) Is structured in a similar way to the exposition, but the part before the second “theme” has been expanded and changed (e.g. regular sixteenth-note figure in the 2nd violin). The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated.

Regarding the introduction to the recapitulation, Hermann Abert praises the “exciting introduction” and the “expressive cadenza of the violins.” Georges Beck, on the other hand, speaks of a “fudged end” in the final group.

Third movement: Menuetto

G minor, 3/4 time, 51 bars

The minuet is characterized by the alternation of (mostly four-bar) sections of the entire orchestra in unison forte and piano passages of the strings. The first part is half as long with 12 bars as the second part with 24 bars. At the beginning of the sentence, the two pairs of horns (in B and G) share the lead. The second part begins as a continuation of the opening theme and ends with a short coda after it is taken up again.

The pastoral trio is in G major and is only for wind instruments (oboes, bassoon, horns) in the piano. The first four bars of the second part of the trio are imitated.

Fourth movement: Allegro

G minor, 2/2 time (alla breve), 194 measures

The first theme is presented by the strings in unison (as in the first and third movements) and piano. It is characterized by the alternation of an even quarter movement and dotted rhythm. The dotted rhythm is important for the further structure of the sentence. From bar 9 the theme is repeated as a variant, now forte and with voice guidance in the oboes, the horns (which “split up” the melody), the viola and the bass, accompanied by syncopation of the violins. The unison and syncopation are reminiscent of the first theme of the first movement. In measure 16, the first violin begins with a new, contrasting motif with tone repetition and chromatics in E flat major piano. From bar 26, Mozart changes again in the whole orchestra with runs and the varied head from the first theme to the forte.

The second theme (bars 41–48, tonic parallel in B flat major) in the gently swaying character is performed by the strings piano. Here, too, the dotted rhythm from the beginning of the sentence can be found again. The theme is repeated as a variant with oboe accompaniment. A new section begins in bar 49 with head from the first theme in horn, viola and bass, while the violins accompany with syncope and thirty-second empty phrases. From bar 53 the syncopation and the dotted rhythm dominate, from bar 63 there are runs of the strings in countermovement. The exposition ends as a solo recitative passage of the 1st violin, as it also appeared similarly in the introduction to the second theme (bars 37–40).

The development (bars 77-107) begins as a staccato section in countermovement. From bar 87 a new, chromatically ascending motif follows in A major in 2nd violin, viola and bass, underlaid from the organ point on A (G-horns: as recumbent tone, 1st violin: as tremolo). After four bars the motif turns into a stormy eighth run. In bar 94 the 1st violin moves from F sharp to G in tremolo, then the entire motif is repeated in G major. After further eighth-notes, syncopation and “two tired, falling bars of the first violins”, the recapitulation is reached in bar 108 - again with a recitative character. This is structured similar to the exposure. The exposition, development and recapitulation are repeated. The movement closes with a coda (bars 187 ff.) With falling string figures in unison.

Individual references, comments

1. ^ Konrad Küster: Mozart: Symphonies in Salzburg. Text contribution to the recording of the Mozart symphonies with the English Concert and Trevor Pinnock; Deutsche Grammophon GmbH, Hamburg 1995.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Volker Scherliess : The symphonies. In: Silke Leopold (Ed.): Mozart-Handbuch. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2005, ISBN 3-7618-2021-6 .
3. ↑ Laurenz Lütteken : Essay: Storm and Stress in Music? Mozart's symphonies 1773–1775 and the problems of a music-historical construction. 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. 44-57.
4. ↑ This refers to KV 183 and KV 550.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Georges Beck: WA Mozart: Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183 (text contribution to the score with analysis of the symphony). Six-page supplement to the score published by Heugel et Cie, P. H 193, Paris 1952.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Hermann Abert: WA Mozart. Revised and expanded edition of Otto Jahn's Mozart. First part 1756–1782. 7th expanded edition, VEB Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1955, 848 pp.
7. ^ Wolfgang Hildesheimer: Mozart . Insel, Frankfurt am Main 2005 (1977), ISBN 3-458-34826-3
8. ↑ Michael Kontarsky: The "Salzburg" Symphonies KV 162-202. 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. 28-43
9. ^ Neal Zaslaw: Mozart's Symphonies. Context, performance practice, reception. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1989.
10. ^ Similar beginning in the first movement of Symphony No. 3 by Joseph Haydn.
11. ↑ Georges Beck (1952) points out the similarity of this passage to the first movement of the symphony KV 550 from bar 28 and from bar 200.
12. ↑ ^{a b c} The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in some recordings.
13. ↑ While Georges Beck also speaks of a second theme and sets the beginning in measure 59 as suggested here, according to Hermann Abert there are two “secondary ideas”: the motif from measures 29 ff. And the second theme. Michael Kontarsky sees in the section from bars 29–73 only an introduction to the final group and sometimes speaks of a monothematic structure.

Web links, notes

• Symphony in G KV 183 (173dB) : Score and critical report in the New Mozart Edition
• 25th Symphony (Mozart) : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
• WA Mozart: Symphony No. 25 K. 183 Sol Mineur. Heugel et Cie, PH 193, Paris 1952 (pocket score; current editions have been published by publishers Eulenburg or Philharmonia, for example).
• W. Meves: Symphonies de WA Mozart. Collection Litolff No. 168. Henry Litolff's Braunschweig publishing house no year (edition from approx. 1890, including a version of the symphony KV 183 for two-handed piano).

See also

• List of symphonies by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart