Mozart Symphony 5

For this particular essay I chose to attend a concert program of Wolfgang Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 in G minor. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an exceptionally talented and influential music composer during the Classical Era. Mozart was so talented at composing music that he began performing pieces in front of European aristocracy at just age 5! He also composed his first symphony at the age of 9. This level of talent is one of the primary reasons I chose to attend a Mozart performance. Furthermore, Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 represents the standard classical sonata form and consists of 4 movements: the Allegro con brio in G minor, andante in E-flat major, menuetto and trio in G minor, and Allegro in G minor as well. The instruments included throughout
the four movements are bassoons, basses, horns, oboes, pianos, violins, and violas. Each of these instruments are used accordingly in order to produce a highly rhythmic and syncopated symphony that more than pleases its listeners. In addition, this specific piece written by Mozart is an accurate representation of the classical genre of music.
Every piece of Mozart’s symphony No. 25 has a unique sound to it and expresses Mozart’s individuality to its fullest. However, the two pieces that captured my attention in particular were the Allegro con brio (first piece) and the Allegro (fourth and final piece). Both of these pieces seem to express Mozart’s skills. The first piece, Allegro con brio, begins the symphony by using four long notes modulated by oboes, which overlap the demanding syncopated violins and violas. The violins and the violas follow the same structure throughout the first piece and the basses support the structure in even caprices. A violin unison suddenly follows and is repeated five times before coming to an abrupt end. The piece then seems as I it is going to reiterate the beginning movement, but the oboe subtly reproduces its four-note theme. The fourth and final piece (Allegro) starts with a dark piano unison that transitions into violas and basses alike. These violas and basses slowly repeat their mentioned syncopations from the Allegro con brio.
The three elements of this symphony that most strongly characterize each piece are without a doubt the tempo, melodies, and dynamics. First of all the tempo throughout the symphony is extremely structured with violins even though it changes at times. This particular symphony also consists of multiple violins, cellos, and clarinets as mentioned beforehand. The use of active violins and gradual clarinets emphasizes the importance of contrast and syncopation.
The melody present in this symphony is all but subpar.
Mozart’s melodies throughout each piece of this symphony are about as classical in form as it gets. The overall purpose of melodies in classical form is to written in repetitive numbers. Most listeners would identify such repetitiveness after listening to the symphony a single time. The obviousness of the repetitive melodies is not a weakness of composing skills, however. This just means it is true to classical sonata form. Most pieces in the classical era were also primarily instrumental. This is true, especially in Mozart’s Symphony No 25, because the piece itself depicts actual instrumentation. In all fairness, this was Mozart’s preferred
style.
Furthermore, the dynamics in this symphony are a bit different. Although the dynamics do somewhat signify the classical era, Mozart’s use of slight dynamic changes were innovative in their own way. Before Mozart’s symphonies, and particularly Symphony No 25, most pieces utilized dynamic changes in which the volume levels typically transitioned from loud to soft or vice versa. In addition, this symphony also has several varieties of mood changes with a subtle homophonic texture.
The style period in which both pieces of this symphony stem from is most definitely the classical period. Mozart is famous for his contribution to and impact on the classical era and one of his goals was to compose music that not many individuals had heard of or even composed before him. The most important feature of both of these pieces that is highly typical of the classical period is undoubtedly the use of sonata form. Sonata form was the most common form of structure throughout the classical era and arguably the most significant. The second feature that applies to both of the pieces I selected is the contrasts of mood. Both the Allegro con brio and the Allegro portrayed apparent changes in mood, most of which were gradual changes considering that this was Mozart’s preference, aside from the typical fluctuation of moods.
Mozart’s musical composition was originally created with no target audience, but the aristocracy eventually heard his pieces and it left them absolutely impressed by his talent.
Once he gained popularity, Mozart began composing and performing his music in front of aristocratic audiences in Salzburg, Austria. He then grew restless and decided to travel abroad while also continuing to compose his famous works of art. Mozart eventually settled in Vienna where he began to produce arguably some of his greatest music. In Vienna he regularly visited the court of Emperor of Joseph II. Each of the aristocratic audiences would have experienced such a performance at either auditoriums or courts. Audiences of modern day listen to these performances in a similar way as well. Modern day performances as large as a symphony would typically be held in larger auditoriums or facilities. Smaller symphonies will usually perform in concert halls or venues. However, the way modern day audiences listen to symphonies and concerts alike is quite different. I feel as if most audiences of today do not necessarily appreciate the significance of a symphony as much as audiences may have in the 18th century. This is possibly due to the variety of forms of entertainment in today’s modern society as compared to the society of several hundred years
ago.