Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550

Listening

Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550

First Movement – Sonata Form

Exposition

0:26  First theme

Mood: agitated, anxious, sad, tragic

Key: G minor

Instrumentation: Violin 1, doubled by Violin 2 down an octave

Thematic ideas: sighing figure, many leaps in the second half

Accompaniment: repeated-note figuration in quavers

Form: compound sentence

Cadence: imperfect cadence (ends on V)

0:26  Transition

Thematic ideas: begins like the first theme; then moves to new thematic ideas; ends with a rapid upward-moving, scale-like figure

Key: begins in G minor, then modulates to Bb major (relative major key)

Instrumentation: Violin 1, doubled by Violin 2 either down an octave or in unison

Dynamics: changes to forte in the middle, occasionally reinforced by sforzandos

Cadence: imperfect cadence (ends on V, prolonged for 6 bars)

0:56  Second theme

Mood: calm, relaxed, lyrical (cantabile), expressive

Thematic ideas: long notes, legato bowing, moves mostly by steps

Accompaniment: chordal (long notes), same rhythm as the melody

Key: Bb major

Form: period (antecedent + consequent); repeated once, but extended by a harmonic digression to bVII (Ab major)

Cadence: perfect cadence / perfect authentic cadence (ends on I) in Bb major

1:34  Closing theme

Making use of thematic ideas from previous sections

(1) first theme: descending scale-like passage; repeated-note figuration in unison; sighing figure in augmentation

(2) transition: alternating-note figuration in accompaniment

(3) second theme: chromatic ascending line (retrograde); call and response

Key: Bb major

Cadence: perfect cadence / perfect authentic cadence (ends on I) in Bb major; first ending returns to G minor

Exposition (repeated)

2:10  First theme

2:36  Transition

3:05  Second theme

3:43  Closing theme

Development

4:23  Based on thematic ideas from the first theme

Key: unstable, frequent modulations to several keys, including F# minor, E minor, Bb major, D minor (V), Bb major (V)

5:00  Retransition

Cadence: ends on the dominant (V) of G minor (tonic key / home key)

Recapitulation

5:40  First theme

Same as exposition

6:03  Transition

Thematic ideas: begins in the same way as exposition; expanded in the middle

Key: altered very early by the Ab; moving to first to Eb major (down a fifth as before)

Cadence: imperfect cadence (ends on V) in G minor

6:56  Second theme

Thematic ideas: same as the exposition, but changed to minor mode

Key: G minor

7:40  Closing theme

Thematic ideas: begins in the same way as exposition; expanded in the middle

Coda

8:12  Coda

Thematic ideas: based on materials from the first theme; featuring imitations between various strings parts

 

---

Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550

Third Movement – Minuet and Trio

Minuet

0:00  Section a

Key: G minor

Dynamics: loud (forte)

Form: rounded binary form (A BA)

Rhythm: syncopation / hemiola (2+2+2 in triple meter)

0:18  Section a (repeated)

0:36  Section b

0:53  Section a

Imitative entries among the strings parts

1:04 Codetta

1:11  Section b (repeated)

1:28  Section a (repeated)

1:39 Codetta

Trio

1:47  Section c

Key: G major

Rhythm: regular and straightforward

Dynamics: soft (piano)

Form: rounded binary form (A BA)

Instrumentation: alternate between strings and woodwinds (clarinet remains tacet)

Texture: homophonic (chordal)

1:47  Section c (repeated)

2:35  Section d

Instrumentation: alternate between strings and woodwinds (clarinet remains tacet)

Ascending sequence; call and response

3:18  Section c

Instrumentation: horns enter, doubling the principal melody

3:09  Section d (repeated)

3:20  Section c (repeated)

Minuet

Key: G minor

Dynamics: loud (forte)

Repeats of each halves are omitted

3:41  Section a

3:59  Section b

4:16  Section a