Mozart · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart Symphony No. 40 in G minor
An opening melody everyone knows, in the minor to the end
- Key
- G minor
- Composed
- 1788
- Duration
- about 28 min
- Movements
- 4 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 1·2·2·2 (clarinets added in the revised version) · Brass 2·0·0·0 · Strings
The story behind this piece
In the summer of 1788, Mozart wrote three symphonies (Nos. 39, 40, and 41) one after another within a few weeks. This is the second of them, entered in his catalog of works on July 25. Only two of his symphonies are in a minor key, No. 25 and this one, so this one is called the "great G minor" and No. 25 the "little G minor."
The score exists in two versions. At first there were no clarinets; later Mozart added two clarinets and reworked the other wind parts, probably for a Vienna concert conducted by Salieri. Today the clarinet version is played more often.
The feeling people get from this piece has changed from era to era. Schumann heard grace and lightness in it, but today it is often heard as full of passion and sorrow. It begins in the minor without trumpets or timpani and ends in the minor through the final chord.
What to listen for
- Opening of the 1st movement: that melody everyone knows. It stays in the minor, with no coda that resolves brightly into the major
- 3rd movement, Minuet: too stern and tragic to dance to. Only in the middle Trio does it catch its breath briefly in the major
- 4th movement: it drives on in the minor to the very end
Listen · Score
Credits