Program Notes

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201

Scored for two oboes, two horns and strings

In early 1774 the young Mozart returned home from a trip to Vienna. The 18-year-old composer was champing at the bit because he had had a chance to study the current musical style of that city and couldn’t wait to put his newfound knowledge into practice. He began work on a new symphony which would be destined to set him on a new path, and go a long way to establishing his mature style. This work was published as the Symphony No. 29 in A Major, K. 201.

Several things set this symphony apart from his earlier works in the genre. The most obvious is the change from his usual three movement structure to the now standard four, placing a minuet as the third movement. There is an increased use of counterpoint, the use of the motive, or small musical cell as the basis for extended development, and an ability to create contrast rhythmically and melodically. Mozart had learned how to manipulate the musical materials at his disposal and, though he was still a few years away from complete mastery, shape them according to his wishes.

It is interesting to note that when Mozart moved to Vienna in 1781, this was one of the works that he requested be sent to him for exposure to the Viennese public. He saw in it more than just an exercise in the Viennese style, he saw the first marks of his late genius, and the first of a body of symphonies that would forever change the nature of the genre.

The first movement opens quietly, the repeated note figure of the first melody being a dominating factor in the entire movement. This first idea is presented with simple accompaniment, then subjected to two-part imitation. The second theme is simple but elegant. In the development, the first theme is accompanied by tremolo strings, and in the coda it becomes a three-part canon.

In the second movement the strings are asked to play with mutes attached. The general atmosphere is one of a drawing room in a stately house. The movement is a dance, but a gentle, graceful one, and when the oboes enter it is almost jarring. We quickly become accustomed to them, though, and their contribution is quite welcome. The horns make their entrance shortly after this and by now they are quite at home.

The minuet, far from being one of typically subtle, erudite manners is quite energetic, with a greater reliance on winds than has been used thus far. The trio steers us to a more familiar refined attitude.

The finale is music of uninhibited delight. Precision and virtuosity are required of the musicians here. The repeated note figure that so dominated the first movement is in evidence here again. Mozart’s use of the first and second violins as separate entities that share various parts of the melodies is another sign of his maturity as a composer. The development section is dramatic and complex, the composer using sudden dynamic changes to great effect. The horns feature prominently in the coda and add some weight to the boisterous close.