mozart Flashcards
key of b minor
- known as dark key - must have held special significance, next to the entry in his personal catalogue Mozart wrote B minor, the only time he ever listed the key of a work
- confronted by a stark diminished chord in the first bar, which effectively truncates the flow of the melody
- dynamic changes, rhetorical pauses
- characteristics that distinguish this work from the rest of Mozart’s output - many works of Mozart are so centered around diminished chords
instinctive feeling for chromaticism (abundant powers in expressive minor music
chamber music / dynamics + some vocal music
Many Mozart concerti are almost devoid of dynamic markings in the piano part - lack of developments of the piano that Beethoven saw in his lifetime
- jaggedness and drama that need to be conveyed.
- wouldn’t make sense in an operatic context, would make perfect sense in a string quintet. (motion of the bows when the first sforzando strikes on the diminished chord of the first bar)
paradoxical - melodies often evoke vocal music in their contour, rhythmic structure and variety
loose sonata form
the piece opens by outlining a B minor triad; the rhythmically diverse theme continues through several dynamic changes.
After an unexpected stop on the dominant, the theme begins again, but in the left hand, initiating the transition to D major (the relative major, a third above the tonic).
The second theme consists of an ascending arpeggio, played forte, deep in the piano’s lower register, immediately balanced by a rising half step in the treble
Development section starts with the main theme on G major (a third below the tonic), followed by the second theme, but inverted. Here, a descending arpeggio in the treble is answered by a rising half step in the bass.
The recapitulation proceeds as we might expect.
A brief coda built of new material closes the piece in B major (parallel major)
mood
seriousness, solemnity and pathos.
- drama / jaggedness
fugal episodes
- contrapuntal, polyphonic
- built on a subj that is repeated or imitated / built on often, especially in development
- episodes—parts of the fugue where new material is heard, based on the subject
- fundamental in showing mastery in harmony and tonality
two piano fugue in C minor, K. 426,
what characterises mozarts music
melodic beauty, formal elegance, and richness of harmony + texture - often coloured by opera + instrumental traditions
balance, regularity, symmetry, and logic
deteriorating financial state
- moved to suburb where rents were cheaper
- teaching, publications + occasionally acted as his own publisher with sorry results
arranged private performances by handel
+ undertook concert tour
began to be widely piblished in 1891, to those other than court circle
mozarts string quartets
wrote 23 quartets
no20 in d major 1786
6 string quartents dedicated to haydn - sought to emulate haydns op33
characterised by textures conceived as a four part discourse (counterpoint)
piano concerto no9 in e flat major
1777
- scale, virtuosity, elements of suprise
represents a new, more elaborate style
Symphony No. 31 in D major PARIS
consciously exploits the soundsape of the large paris orchestra
- clarinets, bassooms, trumpets
pushes harmonies to the subdominant side while serving to disorientate the listener
piano concerto no19 f major
fugato represents transition - double fugue in central episode
hidden, but inherently contrapuntal nature of mozarts material
texture is matter of formal significance - use of dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra
early operatic aria - mozarts operas
relevant to mozarts viennese concertos (include aria forms and baroque ritornello forms)
but left behind in Don Giovanni (ABA form)
wrote 22 operas
Marriage of Figaro 1786
Don Giovanni 1787
how many symphonies did mozart write
41 symphonies
pieces for piano and other instruments
17 Variations
10 pieces four-hands
36 Violin Sonatas
9 Piano trios
strict tempo
tempo rubato in adagio does not apply to the left hand
