Mozarts Symphony Number Forty - Essay Example

number Publish Mozart’s Symphony Number Forty: A Introduction Wolfgang Mozart’s Symphony Number Forty is seen as one of the most sublime of Mozart’s compositions. The importance of Symphony Number Forty in classical music cannot be underestimated given the fact that future maestros such as Beethoven took inspiration from this piece (Hopkins). Moreover, Symphony Number Forty is one of the most widely played and emulated pieces from classical music in general and from Mozart’s symphonies in particular. Another notable feature of Symphony Number Forty is that it is one of the two minor scale symphonies that Mozart designed throughout his musical career. Although there are other minor scale symphonies attributed to Mozart’s name but there are doubts as to authenticity. However, Symphony Number Forty and Symphony Number Twenty Five are minor scale symphonies both authentically attributed to Mozart (Zaslaw). This paper will explore Mozart’s biography, his Symphony Number Forty in terms of its historical context and its description in order to bring out the nuances in this great musical piece. Mozart’s Life and Times It would not be unjustified to term Mozart as one of the chief canons of Western classical music. Mozart hailed from a period when Europe was teeming with musical activity. Mozart was aided in his musical endeavours at an early age by his family background. Wolfgang Mozart’s father, Leopold Mozart was a practising musician and was quick to realise his son’s talents early on. Mozart was encouraged to take up music at a very early age and was able to compose as early as five years old. The earliest demonstrations by Mozart were based on the violin and the piano and this left quite a strong impression on the maturing Mozart later. The early works of Mozart tend to revolve around the violin and the piano in large part especially his concertos. Mozart’s father realising his son’s prodigal talent encouraged the young musician further on. Within some years, Mozart began to perform in front of European aristocracy. Given Mozart’s talented music, he was already employed in the Salzburg Court by the age of seventeen years. However, Mozart’s calling took him away from Salzburg after a few years only. Mozart moved into the Austrian capital and was soon on his way to fame although Mozart’s financial troubles were far from over. The prolific character and the quality of Mozart’s work were able to project him into the limelight in Vienna and around. However, forbidding circumstances such as the Austro Turk war from the same era proved to be a drain on the fiscal resources of Mozart’s patrons. Consequently, Mozart found himself in fiscal trouble for some time. Eventually, Mozart’s circumstances began to recover but the great composer was soon claimed by a mysterious illness. Wolfgang Mozart died in 1791 at age thirty five. Mozart’s untimely death has been the subject of much speculation over the years and most people consider his early death a setback to Western classical music (Robbins). History of Symphony Number Forty The origin of Symphony Number Forty has been traced to Mozart with authentication. The symphony was noted down by Mozart in his personal notebook on July the 25th, 1788. It must be noted that Symphony Number Forty hails from one of the most prolific periods in Mozart’s life. The period in which this symphony was created consisted of only a few weeks but works from this period by Mozart are hailed as masterpieces in their own right (Deutsch). Symphony Number Forty has come under debate for Mozart’s personal viewership. It has been argued that Mozart was never able to hear his Symphony Number Forty performed during his lifetime. The time between the composition of Symphony Number Forty and Mozart’s death is brief so it is argued that Mozart died before any large performances of Symphony Number Forty. However, there are other commentators who reason that Mozart was party to Symphony Number Forty’s performance during his lifetime although he sought greater perfection in its performance. This is often argued given that later versions of the Symphony Number Forty contain added clarinets which might have been added for some special performance or otherwise (Zaslaw). The creation of Symphony Number Forty is also attributed to Mozart’s idea for a series of concerts to be held shortly after the creation of Symphony Number Forty. Though there is evidence that tickets for these concert series were sent out to Mozart’s friends but there is little historical evidence to support the actual performance of these concerts (Deutsch). In contrast, certain quarters argue that only the first of these three series of concerts was actually orchestrated (Zaslaw). Description of Symphony Number Forty Mozart’s Symphony Number Forty is considered one of the darker works by the composer. It must be kept in mind that when Symphony Number Forty was composed, Mozart was going through tumultuous times in his life. Mozart’s fortunes did not seem to change, despite his best efforts and consequently he was forced to seek loans from friends in order to survive. It is often argued that Symphony Number Forty represents Mozart’s emotions on an altogether different plane (Tan). In terms of the structure, Symphony Number Forty is composed of four distinct movements. The symphony is essentially a sonata in large part. The first, second and fourth movements are all based on a sonata type structure. In contrast, the third movement is characterised by a trio and a minuet instead of a sonata. The tempo changes in each movement such that the first movement is molto allegro in terms of tempo. The second movement’s tempo can be described as andante while the third movement’s tempo is allegretto. The piece ends with the fourth movement whose tempo can be described as allegro assai. Essentially Mozart starts out in Symphony Number Forty in a very fast way which has the presence of rather dark elements. It is without doubt that Mozart’s Symphony Number Forty starts out with tension, especially when compared to music from the era. The tension is lowered by Mozart in the second movement and it is then lowered even further in the third movement. The continuity of lowering tension is disrupted by Mozart in the fourth movement where the piece is taken to very fast tempos again. The resumption of such tension takes the new listener by surprise and keeps the avid listener in wait of the tension. In addition, the entire piece has been done in G minor which also adds to the depressing tones presented by Symphony Number Forty. Mozart has composed the piece in such a manner that feelings of sadness are pervasive in the first movement after which they are fleeting till the fourth movement. The fourth movement then raises the mood a little with its faster tempo but it does not lift the entire mood out of a melancholy setting. Another notable aspect of Symphony Number Forty is the use of instruments. Mozart has minimised the use of instruments to the bare minimum, perhaps in order to bring out the subtle tones present in the composition. The entire symphony is devoid of any drums unlike other pieces from the same era. It could be argued that Mozart managed to bring out the best in music from the time with the use of modest orchestra support. Mozart’s genius lay in the fact that the symphony has been organised in a manner unique for the time it was created in. The timeless appeal of Mozart’s Symphony Number Forty stems from the fact that it differs in large proportion from typical music pieces from the same era. Works Cited Deutsch, Otto Erich. Mozart: A Documentary Biography. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1965. Print. Hopkins, Antony. The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven. London: Heineman, 1981. Print. Robbins, H. C. 1791: Mozart's Last Year. London: Harper Collins, 1990. Print. Tan, Nathan. The Forgetful Gentleman: Thirty Ways to Turn Good Intentions into Action. Chronicle Books, 2013. Print. Zaslaw, Neal. Mozart's Symphonies: Context, Performance Practice, Reception. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991. Print. Bibliographical Explanation Deutsch, Otto Erich. Mozart: A Documentary Biography. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1965. Print. A book on Mozart’s life and works covering particularly the time when Mozart was in his professional life. Hopkins, Antony. The Nine Symphonies of Beethoven. London: Heineman, 1981. Print. Book describing Beethoven’s major works including his sources for inspiration, the composition of the works and other such details. Robbins, H. C. 1791: Mozart's Last Year. London: Harper Collins, 1990. Print. A book concentrating in large part on Mozart’s last year alive in order to track down how Mozart actually died. Tan, Nathan. The Forgetful Gentleman: Thirty Ways to Turn Good Intentions into Action. Chronicle Books, 2013. Print. A cultural book providing for essential things that modern man should do in order to get in touch with aesthetic elements of culture. Zaslaw, Neal. Mozart's Symphonies: Context, Performance Practice, Reception. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991. Print. Comprehensive critique on Mozart’s life and works leaving practically no stone unturned. Read More