Symphony No 40 - Mozart

KEY FEATURES

This is quite a long work for you to learn. The analysis in the text book is very good.Here, you will find information in smaller chunks!

InstrumentationFirst – Remember the Classical Orchestra from General Features?

This piece is a little different!Clarinets.Originally not in the piece, but Mozart added them later.They were a new invention and he loved the new sound so much he rewrote some pieces to include them…including Messiah by Handel!

StructureMozart uses SONATA FORM to build the structure of this movement.This is a common way of doing things in the CLASSICAL PERIOD

See GENERAL FEATURES

Section Bars Keys used

First Subject 1-20 G Minor

Bridge Passage 20-44 Modulates to Bb Major (relative major)

Second Subject 44-72 Bb Major

Codetta 73-100 Bb –ends in G minor

Development 101-164 Gmin/E Min/A min/Dmin/Gmin/C/F/Bb

Recapitulation 164-260 Gminor

Coda 260-299 G minor

Short ending section

Explained in

HARMONY/TONALITY

What happens in each section will be covered in other slides

Harmony/TonalitySonata Form is all about the relationship between keys.Most common is the relationship between the TONIC (chord I) and the Dominant (chord V) but in a minor key it often the relationship between tonic and its’ RELATIVE MAJOR key

G minor Bb Major

Which bits are in G Minor?• 1st Subject•Start of Development•Recapitulation•Coda

Which bits are in Bb Major?•2nd Subject•Codetta (but finishes in G min)

What happens in the development?

The DEVELOPMENT is where a composer can experiment.Mozart goes through 7 keys in this sections.

Let’s see how they are related (read clockwise from the top)

Gm

Em

Am

Dm

Gm

Cmaj

Fmaj

Bbmaj Tonic

Relative minor of the tonic major (G Major)

Mozart then uses keys that are 4 notes apart – until…..

…he reaches Bb major – the relative major of G minor – and links this to the start of the RECAPITULATION , in the TONIC of G Minor

Called a “cycle of 4ths”

MelodyThere are 2 melodies used in this piece.They are known as SUBJECTS in Sonata Form

1st Subject Descending Sequence

Repeats the first phrase, one note lowerLook out for the repeated F# in this sequence

Played by violins in Octaves, accompanied by quaver chords in violas

2nd Subject In Bb Major – relative major!

Notice the CHROMATIC movement in the melody

Woodwind link passage

woodwind link and take over the tune

Shared between strings and woodwind, this is the first example played by the strings.

The use of semitones in the melody creates a PATHETIQUE mood.

Try and learn the notes to these melodies, because….

The skill being tested is your ability to HEAR the missing notes and correctly identify them. But….a few minutes work could mean that you remember them.

TextureIs mostly Melody dominated Hompohony (Homophonic)

Look at the example from the first subject

melody

Violas and Cello/Bass play G minor chords.Giving the HOMPOHONIC texture

Other Textures include IMITATION and CANONSee example from bars 81-84

However, it never reaches the same complexity as the polyphony in Baroque music

More Examples of Homphonic Texture

Bars –34-43 (including a strong DOMINANT PEDAL)

Bars 88-100