• A symphony was a large, impressive concert piece for orchestra

  • Became prominent as public concerts grew

  • More variety and flexibility

  • The “crowning achievement” of Viennese Classical music

Movements of the Symphony

A typical symphony has 4 movements:

• First movement: Fast/moderate tempo, sonata form, sometimes has a slower introduction

• Second movement: Slow tempo, quiet mood, variety of forms

• Third movement: Always minuet and trio (moderately paced and triple meter)

• Fourth movement: Fast/faster than first, sonata/rondo form (or combo)

Has similarities to the Baroque Concerto!

Note that there are exceptions.

Sonata Form

• Linked to symphonies, in the opening movement of each

• Contrast and flexibility

• ABA’ form, usually with repetitions

• A is exposition, B is development, A’ is recapitulation

Exposition (A)

Large, diverse section presenting basic material

Order of events:

• First (main) theme is presented in the tonic key (often a tune)

• Bridge/transition and modulation

• Second group of themes in the new key

  • New second theme introduced

  • Cadence theme (closing; last theme of the second group) constructed

• Usually repeated

Development (B)

• Heightens tensions

• Themes are broken up, extended, developed, etc.

• Many modulations

  • Last one returns to tonic in the retransition

Recapitulation (A’)

• Review of all exposition themes

• Tonic key only

• First theme, bridge, then second group (second theme and cadence theme)

There may also be an optional section called the coda, which (in this case) repeats BA’

Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 (1788), First Movement

• Most famous work of Mozart

• Dark and uneasy mood (minor mode, rare)

• Opening texture was homophony

• Exposition: First theme played twice, second theme is in the major mode, and divides music between strings and woodwinds- then it’s repeated w/ strings and woodwinds flipped. Short cadence theme, back to minor, then everything is repeated.

• Development: First theme modulates, counterpoint, lots of modulations and fragmentation. When that ceases, that’s the retransition.

• Recapitulation: New pathos, shifts previously major mode material to minor, alterations of exposition materials, great power overall.

• Coda: Very short, first theme then repeated cadences.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Biography

• Austrian

• Father was a court musician/composer (possessive and controlling to poor Wolfgang)

• Child prodigy, very successful at the time

• Musician at the court of Salzburg (hometown), but he hated it, and left to freelance in Vienna

• Wrote great operas, but people thought his music was difficult

• Fell out of popularity and struggled financially

• Died dramatically at 35 while composing (maybe) his own Requiem Mass

Symphonies of Haydn

Haydn was a “master” of the Classical symphony, creating more than 100. Most famous were his last 12, for London concerts.

Symphony No. 94 in G Major (The Surprise, 1791), First Movement

• Slow introductory section (Haydn signature)

• After that, quickens and sonata form begins

• First theme, violin duet, is happy and light

• Bustling and jaunty

• Second and cadence themes were more expansive

  • Cadence has alternating strings and woodwinds

• No retransition in development

• “Surprise” recapitulation

Classical Variation Form

• Variation form repeats the theme with changes at each repetition

  • In Classical, the theme is a tune in the upper register

• Big with virtuosos, who would improvise them

• Often 12 variations

Surprise Symphony, Second Movement

• Slow and more restful

• Unique variation form

  • 4 variations and a brief coda

  • Theme (x), normal variation (x1), variation within variation (x1’)

Minuet Form (Classical Dance Form)

• Classical focused on minuet dance form instead of stylized dances

• Minuets survived and were popular still

  • fashionable social dance

  • more technical

• Included in all symphonies and string quartets

Baroque and Classical Dance Form

• Baroque minuet and trio is ABA, w/ A the minuet and B the trio

  • A (|: a :||: b :|), B (|: c :||: d:|), A (ab)

• Classical composers were more complex, with two versions

  • Version 1

    • A- |: a :||: ba :|

    • B- |: c :||: dc :|

    • C- aba

  • Version 2 (more common)

    • A- |: a :||: ba’ :|

    • B- |: c :||: dc’ :|

    • C- aba’

  • This was sometimes called ternary form

Surprise Symphony, Third Movement

• Version 2 of classical dance form

• Minuet is “boisterous” and “unruly,” while the trio has “controlled charm”

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Biography

• Not from a professional musical family (though his father was an amateur musician)

• Talented choirboy in youth

• Had the prestigious position of “Kapellmeister” with Prince Paul Anton Esterházy

• Composed 104 symphonies, 68 string quartets, over 20 operas, and many other things

• Composed a lot of music for baryton, a “bizarre archaic instrument” similar to a plucked cello with extra strings

• He and Mozart were friends, and played together one time

• Became more famous with public concerts

• Turned to choral music later in life

• Nice, honorable, and generous

  • Very human, and thought his art should have some of this humanity too

Rondo Form

• Rondo form is like ABACA, though it can be many other things, like ABACADA, ABACABA, or ABACA coda

  • Basically just has a full fledged tune (A) which is returned to after even other episode (B,C, etc.)

• There are more complex sonata rondos

Surprise Symphony, Fourth Movement

• Very fast, “effervescent and joyous”

• ABACAB(A)