26th Symphony (Mozart)
The symphony in E flat major Köchelverzeichnis 184 was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Salzburg in 1773. According to the Old Mozart Edition, the symphony has the number 26.
General
For the origin of the "Salzburg Symphonies" Köchelverzeichnis (KV) 162 to 202 see KV 162 . The symphony KV 184 is in the style of an Italian overture : It is not in four movements (like a typical concert symphony ) but in three movements, since the minuet is missing. The sentences are not separate, but merge into one another, the transition from the second to the third movement even takes place without a break. Presumably Mozart conceived it as an overture for the opera / theater, which is also supported by the extensive wind instrumentation. The work could also be performed separately at concerts. In fact, KV 184 was used as an overture in later years (probably with Mozart's consent) as an introduction to the play "Lanassa" by Karl Martin Plümicke , a German version of the play "La veuve du Malabar" by Antoine-Marin Lemierre . This piece was played by the Böhm's traveling troupe, known with Mozart since 1779, from 1785 onwards, at the end of September 1790 on the occasion of the imperial coronation in Frankfurt even before Mozart himself. Böhm also used Mozart's music for " Thamos, King in Egypt " KV 345 .
Originally, based on a note from Father Leopold Mozart at the beginning of the first movement, it was assumed that the symphony had been completed on March 30, 1773. On the other hand, (Wolfgang) Mozart's handwriting in the second and third movements seems much “older” than one might assume for March 1773. It is therefore possible that the last two movements of KV 184 were not composed until late summer or autumn 1773.
The symphony is characterized by the following features:
- It has the structure of an Italian overture, the movements are not repeated;
- First movement: Abrupt change in harmony from one note in the scale to the next (e.g. from E flat major to F minor), abrupt change in dynamics, lack of a melodic theme;
- Strong contrasts between the movements: fast, mechanical, energetic (first movement) - dragging, sad (second movement) - fast, melodic, happy (third movement);
- Baroque elements: uniform eighth-note chains in the main motif from the first movement; strict separation between winds, high and low strings as a reference z. B. Chamber music trio sonatas at the beginning of the second movement; In the third movement, the 1st and 2nd violins behave “like a concerto, trumps solo several times, but not“ classically ”, with a pronounced individual solo, but“ pre-classical ”, with passage-like double entries” .
- Use of several motifs that Mozart took up again in later works: The opening of the first movement in the Sinfonia concertante KV 364 and the wind serenade KV 375, the "tragic" tone of the Andante in the slow movements of KV 364, the piano concerto KV 271 and the Serenade KV 320, as well as the beginning of the finale in the horn concerto KV 495.
Volker Scherliess (2005) thinks that the symphony has “experimental features” and that the work can be understood as “a study in unisoni, tremoli, syncopation and chromatic melodies, that is, in dramatic, operatic gestures” . Alfred Einstein (1953) writes about KV 184: "... a pronounced overture, but for a large orchestra and in the first movement so great concert-like in the throw, in the Andante (...) so subtly developed dialogically that it should be counted among the early masterpieces, unless the final movement weighs a little too light. ” It is possible that Mozart wanted to release the tension that had previously built up with the“ easier ”finale.
To the music
Instrumentation: two flutes , two oboes , two horns in Eb, two trumpets in Eb, two violins , viola , cello , double bass . It was customary also to reinforce the bass part, a bassoon and (if the respective Orchestra present) as basso -instrument a harpsichord use. KV 184 thus has a large wind line-up. It is noteworthy that timpani are not provided, as otherwise these usually appeared parallel to the trumpets. Possibly this is due to the frequent change of keys in the first movement, in which the timpani cannot be used. Performance time: approx. 10 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 184 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: Molto Presto
E flat major, 4/4 time, 135 bars
The first theme consists of two contrasting motifs: (1) a signal-like E-flat major triad in forte and unison of the entire orchestra, nine-fold repetition with dotted rhythm, (2) broken E-flat major triad downwards in pause-enforcing eighth note movement of the violins, piano. After moving the topic to F minor, eighth runs in unison, sixteenth tremolo , syncopation and abrupt changes in harmony (e.g. E flat minor, F major, B major) follow . From bar 29, a longer piano section follows with a detached, falling eighth figure of the violins, which oscillates between the dominant B flat major and the double dominant F major.
From bar 43, it goes abruptly into the implementation section. This essentially consists of a repetition of the exposition with changed harmonies: main theme in B flat major and C minor; Section with runs and syncopation. a. Achieved G major, C major, A major, D major, and G minor.
The recapitulation from bar 68 then represents the third run of the material from the exposition, now again in the harmonies as at the beginning of the movement. The main theme has a fourth appearance from bar 112: first in E flat major, then in F minor (as in the exposition) and finally in G major ( sequencing downwards).
From bar 124 the movement ends with a change from C minor and G major in a calm quarter movement with syncopation. The end of the movement consists of the triple repetition of a G major chord in pianissimo and a general pause with fermata in the last bar. G major acts here as a dominant to C minor of the following movement.
Second movement: Andante
C minor, 2/4 time, 70 bars
The movement is made up of a main motif (prelude of three sixteenths + interval step in eighth notes) that initially appears in dialogue in the two violins in the tonic in C minor, underlaid with a stepping eighth note movement in viola, cello and double bass. The winds accompany with splashes of color. From bar 11 the main motif appears in the parallel tonic in E flat major, now the dialogue between the 1st violin on the one hand and flutes and horns on the other hand is conducted. The whole orchestra is involved through chords or tremolo . After a contrasting passage of strings with chromaticism that ends in dissonant chords (bars 24/25), the final section ends the exposition with a variant of the main motif.
Without repetition, the development begins in bar 32, in which the main motif is led through different keys in a dialogue in the strings. The recapitulation from bar 40 is structured similar to the exposition. The final group leads on to the third movement without a break and with a crescendo ; here the crescendo is taken back to the piano.
Third movement: Allegro
E flat major, 3/8 time, 236 bars
The Allegro is the only movement in this symphony to feature two melodic, dance-like themes. The first theme with characteristic tone repetition in its first half is first introduced piano by the strings (without bass), then repeated an octave higher in the forte of the whole orchestra. The section from bar 16 takes up the closing phrase of three notes from the first theme (from bar 15, “three-note motif”) in the winds (downwards) and the violas (upwards) with the tremolo accompaniment of the violins. In measure 28 the double dominant F major is reached, which leads dominantly to the second theme in B major. In the second theme, too, with a dance-like, swaying character, the first half is introduced by the strings (with staggered entry), then repeated with flute accompaniment, before the second half follows with tremolo on the 2nd violin; the second half is also repeated with full wind accompaniment. From bar 60, the closing phrase of the second half gradually ends with its trill.
Without a caesura, in bar 68 in forte and with dissonances the development continues, which processes the material of the section with the three-note motif / tremolo through modulations and staggered use of the motifs. In addition, there is a motif in the violins with a large interval jump (up to over two octaves) downwards, also offset, which can be derived from the first theme. The large leaps in intervals of the motif then become independent via a pendulum movement between D major and G minor, which finally reaches B major and ends here. With a fully formulated, descending seventh chord on B flat, the recapitulation is reached in bar 124, which is initially structured similar to the exposition. The second theme leads back to the section with the three-note motif / tremolo, before the first theme surprisingly appears for the third time in bar 203. The movement closes with the material of the three-note motif / tremolo and seven bars of energetically repeated chords on Eb.
Individual references, comments
- ^ A b Hermann Beck: Foreword (to: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony in E flat KV 184). Pocket Score Volume 72; Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 1986, 22 pp.
- ↑ a b c d Neal Zaslaw: Mozart's Symphonies. Context, performance practice, reception. Clarendon Press, Oxford 1989, 617 pp.
- ^ 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.
- ↑ a b Volker Scherliess : The symphonies. In: Silke Leopold (Ed.): Mozart-Handbuch. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2005, ISBN 3-7618-2021-6 .
- ↑ Alfred Einstein: Mozart - His character, his work. Pan-Verlag, Zurich / Stuttgart 1953, 553 pp.
Web links, notes
- Symphony in E flat major KV 184 : Score and critical report in the New Mozart Edition
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony in Eb KV 184. Bärenreiter study scores, volume 72; Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 1986, 22 pp. (New Mozart Edition).
- W. Meves: Symphonies de WA Mozart. Collection Litolff No. 168. Henry Litolff's Verlag, Braunschweig without a year (edition from approx. 1890, including a version of the symphony KV 184 for piano 2 hands)