Symphony No. 25 (Mozart)
Encyclopedia
The Symphony
No. 25 in G minor, K. 183/173dB, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
in October 1773, shortly after the success of his opera seria
Lucio Silla
. It was supposedly completed October 5, a mere two days after the completion of his Symphony No. 24
, although this remains unsubstantiated. Its first movement is widely known as the opening music in Miloš Forman
's film Amadeus
.
style. It shares certain features with other Sturm und Drang
symphonies of this time, and is likely inspired from Joseph Haydn
's Symphony No. 39
which is likewise in G minor.
The opening Mannheim rocket (a rising arpeggiated
sequence) was quoted by Beethoven in his first Piano Sonata
as the principal subject of the first movement.
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
No. 25 in G minor, K. 183/173dB, was written 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...
in October 1773, shortly after the success of his opera seria
Opera seria
Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
Lucio Silla
Lucio Silla
Lucio Silla, K. 135, is an Italian opera in three acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was written by Giovanni de Gamerra.It was first performed on 26 December 1772 at the Regio Ducal Teatro in Milan....
. It was supposedly completed October 5, a mere two days after the completion of his Symphony No. 24
Symphony No. 24 (Mozart)
Symphony No. 24 in B flat major, K. 182/173dA, is a symphony composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on October 3, 1773. The symphony has the scoring of two oboes, two horns, and strings.He wrote the symphony in three movements:#Allegro spiritoso, 4/4...
, although this remains unsubstantiated. Its first movement is widely known as the opening music in Miloš Forman
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...
's film Amadeus
Amadeus (film)
Amadeus is a 1984 period drama film directed by Miloš Forman and written by Peter Shaffer. Adapted from Shaffer's stage play Amadeus, the story is based loosely on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, two composers who lived in Vienna, Austria, during the latter half of the...
.
Movements
The symphony is laid out in standard classical form:- Allegro con brio, 4/4 in G minorG minorG minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For the harmonic minor scale, the F is raised to F. Its relative major is B-flat major, and its parallel major is G major....
- Andante, 2/4 in E-flat major
- Menuetto & TrioMinuetA 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...
, 3/4 in G minor, Trio in G majorG majorG major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom... - Allegro, 4/4 in G minor
Style and Influence
With its wide-leap melodic lines and brisk musical subjects, this symphony is characteristic of the Sturm und DrangSturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang is a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism...
style. It shares certain features with other Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang
Sturm und Drang is a proto-Romantic movement in German literature and music taking place from the late 1760s through the early 1780s, in which individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism...
symphonies of this time, and is likely inspired from Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
's Symphony No. 39
Symphony No. 39 (Haydn)
The Symphony No. 39 is a symphony in G minor by Joseph Haydn in 1767 or 1768. It is the earliest of Haydn's minor key symphonies associated with his Sturm und Drang period works . The work was influential and inspired later G minor symphonies by Johann Baptist Vanhal, Johann Christian Bach and...
which is likewise in G minor.
The opening Mannheim rocket (a rising arpeggiated
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
sequence) was quoted by Beethoven in his first Piano Sonata
Piano Sonata No. 1 (Beethoven)
Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1, was written in 1795 and dedicated to Joseph Haydn. It is the first piano sonata written by Beethoven...
as the principal subject of the first movement.