Piano Concerto No. 22 (Mozart)
Encyclopedia
The Piano Concerto No. 22 in E flat major, K
. 482, is a concertante work for piano, or pianoforte, and orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
. Mozart composed the concerto in December of 1785.
This is the first piano concerto of Mozart's to include clarinets in its scoring. It has the following three movements
:
Roger Kamien and Naphtali Wagner have analysed in detail Mozart's use of bridge themes in the exposition of the concerto's first movement. Simon Keefe has analysed the character of the dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra in the concerto's first movement.
The slow second movement in C minor
recalls similar slow C minor movements in other Mozart E-flat major concertos such as K.271
and K.364
. Mozart's father, in a famous letter to Maria
("Nannerl"), expressed surprise that a call was made for the slow movement ("a rather unusual occurrence!") to be repeated.
In the rondo finale, the main theme resembles that of Mozart's third horn concerto
(K.447). Adena Portowitz has noted similar features between the finale of the K.271 and K.482 concerti. In another similarity to K.271, the finale is interrupted by a lengthy and slow minuet
episode before returning to the main theme for a lively finish (also recalling Count Almaviva's adagio pleadings for forgiveness leading to a buffa conclusion in Le Nozze di Figaro- a work that Mozart was working on at this time).The treatment is different here (variations in the ninth, an episode only, here). M. S. Cole has noted that the concerto's finale marks Mozart's last use of potpourri
in his compositions.
Köchel-Verzeichnis
The Köchel-Verzeichnis is a complete, chronological catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which was originally created by Ludwig von Köchel. It is abbreviated K or KV. For example, Mozart's Requiem in D minor was, according to Köchel's counting, the 626th piece Mozart composed....
. 482, is a concertante work for piano, or pianoforte, and orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
. Mozart composed the concerto in December of 1785.
This is the first piano concerto of Mozart's to include clarinets in its scoring. It has the following three movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Allegro
- Andante
- Allegro
Roger Kamien and Naphtali Wagner have analysed in detail Mozart's use of bridge themes in the exposition of the concerto's first movement. Simon Keefe has analysed the character of the dialogue between the soloist and the orchestra in the concerto's first movement.
The slow second movement in C minor
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
recalls similar slow C minor movements in other Mozart E-flat major concertos such as K.271
Piano Concerto No. 9 (Mozart)
The Piano Concerto No. 9 "Jeunehomme" in E flat major, K. 271, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was written in Salzburg in 1777, when Mozart was 21 years old....
and K.364
Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra
The Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E-flat major, K. 364 , was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.At the time of its composition in 1779, Mozart was on a tour of Europe that included Mannheim and Paris...
. Mozart's father, in a famous letter to Maria
Maria Anna Mozart
Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart , nicknamed "Nannerl", was a musician, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart.-Childhood:...
("Nannerl"), expressed surprise that a call was made for the slow movement ("a rather unusual occurrence!") to be repeated.
In the rondo finale, the main theme resembles that of Mozart's third horn concerto
Horn Concerto No. 3 (Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, K. 447 was completed between 1784 and 1787, during the Vienna Period- Background :...
(K.447). Adena Portowitz has noted similar features between the finale of the K.271 and K.482 concerti. In another similarity to K.271, the finale is interrupted by a lengthy and slow minuet
Minuet
A minuet, also spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually in 3/4 time. The word was adapted from Italian minuetto and French menuet, and may have been from French menu meaning slender, small, referring to the very small steps, or from the early 17th-century popular...
episode before returning to the main theme for a lively finish (also recalling Count Almaviva's adagio pleadings for forgiveness leading to a buffa conclusion in Le Nozze di Figaro- a work that Mozart was working on at this time).The treatment is different here (variations in the ninth, an episode only, here). M. S. Cole has noted that the concerto's finale marks Mozart's last use of potpourri
Potpourri (music)
Potpourri or Pot-Pourri is a kind of musical form structured as ABCDEF..., the same as medley or, sometimes, fantasia. It is often used in light, easy-going and popular types of music....
in his compositions.
Sources
- Hutchings, Arthur, A Companion to Mozart's Piano Concertos, Oxford University Press (original publication, 1948).
- Steinberg, MichaelMichael Steinberg (music critic)Michael Steinberg was an American music critic, musicologist, and writer. Born in Breslau, Germany , Steinberg left Germany as one of the Kindertransport child refugees...
, The Concerto: A Listener's Guide, Oxford (1998, ISBN 0195103300)