6th Symphony (Mozart)

The symphony in F major Köchelverzeichnis 43 was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1767. According to the Old Mozart Edition, the symphony has number 6.

General

Mozart in 1770

The autograph of the Köchelverzeichnis symphony (KV) 43 is entitled: Sinfonia di Wolfgango Mozart à Vienne 1767 . Above the year is the comment à olmutz, which was deleted again later . The Mozarts only stayed once in Olomouc (North Moravia) between October 26th and December 23rd, 1767, when they suddenly had to flee from smallpox-infested Vienna, but were unable to prevent both children from becoming ill . On the flight from Vienna they stopped in Brno, and Leopold Mozart postponed a planned concert until the time of their return trip due to the illness. On January 10, 1768 the Mozarts returned to Vienna. Probably KV 43 was composed between September 15 and October 23, 1767 in Vienna, copied in Olomouc during Wolfgang's recovery from smallpox and (possibly) performed on December 30 in Brno.

To the music

Instrumentation: two flutes (only in the second movement), two oboes , two horns in F, two violins , two violas , 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 . A special feature of KV 43 is the divided violas. Performance time: approx. 16 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 KV 43 with restrictions. Sentences 1, 2 and 4 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

F major, 4/4 time, 101 bars

The movement begins forte in the entire orchestra ( tutti ) as a unison fanfare of the F major triad, which is performed in a march-like, dotted rhythm:

This is followed by a crescendo section with an ascending melody line in the violins, which leads to the dominant C major and reaches this in bar 13 with three powerful chord hits. Mozart presumably took inspiration from Johann Christian Bach's Symphony in G major op. 6 No. 1 from 1764 when opening this movement .

In bar 13 there is a section that modulates the fanfare motif in the bass over the tremolo of the strings and sustained wind chords from C major to the double dominant G major , with brief touches on A minor, C minor and D major. As expected, the second theme (bars 23–31) is in the dominant key of C major and is performed by the violins and violas (without bass) piano. Characteristic of the gently swaying melody is the sustained tone of the leading violin in the front movement, to which the other strings respond after an eighth pause, and the chromatic movement in the end movement.

In the following passage (from bar 32) several small motifs are placed one after the other: First, both violins play their own one-bar phrase, offset. The tension built up in the process is released as a cadence-like figure, followed by two further motifs with chord melodies. The last one, which consists of broken triads performed in staccato unisono, is particularly characteristic .

The second part of the sentence begins with a block-like confrontation of forte tutti passages with the fanfare motif in the bass and a tremolo overlay analogous to bar 13 ff. On the one hand and a legato quarter movement of the strings in the piano on the other (“development”). Surprisingly, the section begins in the keyed distant A major and then changes in the circle of fifths downwards via D minor and G major to C major. The transition to the “recapitulation” in bars 69 ff. Is designed with the trill phrase analogous to bars 10/11. However, this is not followed by the passage with the fanfare motif in the bass, as in the exposition, but the second theme (bars 73 ff.). The recapitulation is structured according to the “exposition”. Both parts of the sentence are repeated.

Second movement: Andante

C major, 2/4 time, 67 bars

The timbre changes compared to the previous movement: In the new key of C major, flutes now take the place of oboes, the first violin leading the voice plays muted, the second violin and the basses pizzicato , the divided violas “mumble” in sixteenths . The whole movement is characterized by its pastoral character and the singing melody line. It consists of a sequence of mostly two-bar, repeated motifs.

The motifs in bars 1–8 and 13–20 can be interpreted as the first and second theme (each with a symmetrical structure). For both themes there are characteristic leads, for the transition section (bars 9-11) a chromatic melody line. The second theme is followed by a cadenced section with a trill phrase, which merges into the final group (bars 27-30) with a stepped movement.

In bar 31 ff., The antecedent of the first theme follows as a variant, but the music then swings into a continuation of material from the second theme in bar 35. The “recapitulation” begins in measure 54 with the second subject's ending. Both parts of the sentence are repeated.

The Andante is an adaptation of a duet from the comedy Apollo et Hyacinthus , KV 38. It only appears in the opera at the end of the actual plot: two supporting roles philosophize abstractly about divine anger and loss of grace.

"The eleven-year-old child prodigy may have drew little inspiration from the text and seems to have set the situation to music, creating a sentence of almost sublime serenity."

Third movement: Minuetto e Trio

F major, 3/4 time, with trio 36 bars

The gallant minuet is characterized by its upbeat triplets , which are led downwards in the first part and upwards in the second.

The trio for strings in B flat major is also characterized by ascending, upbeat triplets. The first part is played by the violins and the beginning of the second part by the bass. At the end of the trio, a chromatic unison passage with syncopation appears to loosen up this scheme .

The first and second halves of the minuet are the same length, each with eight bars; in the trio, the second half is a little longer with twelve bars than the first with eight bars.

Fourth movement: Allegro

F major, 6/8 time, 110 bars

The movement is characterized by its largely continuous, partly almost hammering eighth note movement and has the character of a gigue or elements of hunting motifs. The first topic (bars 1–8) has a question-answer structure. After a short transition, the second theme in C major begins in bar 17 in the piano. It consists of broken, e.g. Sometimes diminished triads of the violins, underlaid by triple or multiple notes of the viola. This is followed by several smaller (two to four bar) motifs (bars 25 ff.); the exposition ends in bar 47 with chord melodies in C major.

The second part of the sentence begins accordingly in C major with the first theme, but then, in a continuation, brings new material with accentuated leads and the hammering eighth note movement in forte unison. In addition, the second theme occurs in D minor. The material then follows from measure 25 from the first part of the sentence. Both parts of the sentence are repeated.

See also

• List of symphonies by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Web links, notes

• Symphony in F major KV 43 : Score and critical report in the New Mozart Edition
• 6th Symphony : Sheet music and audio files in the International Music Score Library Project
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia in Fa, K. 43. PR 628, Ricordi-Verlag, Milan 1955 (pocket score).

References and comments

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Neal Zaslaw: Symphony in F major KV 43. Text contribution to: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Symphonies Vol. VII , German translation by Decca 1988. Recording by the Academy of Ancient Music ; Concertmaster Jaap Schröder, continuo: Christopher Hogwood. Decca Record, London 1988.
2. ↑ Volker Scherliess : The symphonies. In: Silke Leopold (Ed.): Mozart-Handbuch. Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel 2005, ISBN 3-7618-2021-6 .
3. ↑ ^{a b c} The repetitions of the parts of the sentence are not kept in some recordings.