Mozart · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart Symphony No. 25 in G minor
A 17-year-old Mozart's stormy minor key
- Key
- G minor
- Composed
- 1773
- Duration
- about 22 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 0·2·0·2 · Brass 4·0·0·0 · Strings
The story behind this piece
Mozart wrote this in Salzburg in October 1773, at the age of seventeen. Only two of his symphonies are in a minor key, and both are in G minor. The bigger, more famous No. 40 is called the "great G minor," and this one the "little G minor."
It is in the fierce, driving "Sturm und Drang" (storm and stress) style, and is thought to be modeled on Haydn's Symphony No. 39, also in G minor and also using four horns.
The first movement was used in the opening of the 1984 film Amadeus, which made it very famous even among general audiences.
What to listen for
- Opening of the 1st movement: off-beat syncopations pour out and create breathless tension. It's the music from the film Amadeus
- Four horns: listen for a fuller, darker sound than the usual two
Listen · Score
Credits