Violin Concerto No. 5 (Mozart)
Encyclopedia
The Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.
219, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
in 1775, premiering during the holiday season that year in Salzburg
. It follows the typical fast-slow-fast musical structure.
for a concerto again until the Piano Concerto K. 414.
The autograph score is preserved in the Library of Congress
, Washington D.C.
s, two horns and string
s.
The movements are as follows:
The aperto marking on the first movement is a rare marking in Mozart's instrumental music, but appears much more frequently in his operatic music. It implies that the piece should be played in a broader, more majestic way than might be indicated simply by allegro. The first movement opens with the orchestra playing the main theme, a typical Mozartian tune. The solo violin comes in with a short but sweet dolce adagio passage in A Major with a simple accompaniment in the orchestra. (This is the only instance in Mozart's concerto repertoire in which an adagio interlude of this sort occurs at the first soloist entry of the concerto.) It then transitions back to the main theme with the solo violin playing a different melody on top of the orchestra. The first movement is 10-11 minutes long.
The rondo finale's main theme is a typical Mozartean theme, but the contrasting sections feature loud passages of Turkish music
that have caused some to call this the "Turkish Concerto".
Mozart later composed the Adagio for violin and orchestra, K. 261
as a substitute slow movement for this concerto.
The whole piece is about 28 minutes long.
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....
219, 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 1775, premiering during the holiday season that year in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
. It follows the typical fast-slow-fast musical structure.
Background
Mozart composed the majority of his concertos for string instruments from 1773 to 1779, but it is unknown for whom, or for what occasion, he wrote them. Similarly, the dating of these works is unclear. Analysis of the handwriting, papers and watermarks has proved that all five violin concertos were re-dated several times. The year of composition of the fifth concerto "1775" was scratched out and replaced by "1780", and later changed again to "1775". Mozart would not use the key of A majorA major
A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps.Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor...
for a concerto again until the Piano Concerto K. 414.
The autograph score is preserved in the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, Washington D.C.
Structure
The concerto is scored for two oboeOboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
s, two horns and string
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
s.
The movements are as follows:
- Allegro Aperto - Adagio - Allegro Aperto
- Adagio
- Rondo - Tempo di Minuetto
The aperto marking on the first movement is a rare marking in Mozart's instrumental music, but appears much more frequently in his operatic music. It implies that the piece should be played in a broader, more majestic way than might be indicated simply by allegro. The first movement opens with the orchestra playing the main theme, a typical Mozartian tune. The solo violin comes in with a short but sweet dolce adagio passage in A Major with a simple accompaniment in the orchestra. (This is the only instance in Mozart's concerto repertoire in which an adagio interlude of this sort occurs at the first soloist entry of the concerto.) It then transitions back to the main theme with the solo violin playing a different melody on top of the orchestra. The first movement is 10-11 minutes long.
The rondo finale's main theme is a typical Mozartean theme, but the contrasting sections feature loud passages of Turkish music
Turkish music (style)
"Turkish music", in the sense described here, is not music of Turkey, but rather a musical style called Alla turca that was occasionally used by European composers of the 17th and 18th centuries...
that have caused some to call this the "Turkish Concerto".
Mozart later composed the Adagio for violin and orchestra, K. 261
Adagio in E for Violin and Orchestra (Mozart)
The Adagio in E for Violin and Orchestra, K. 261, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1776. It was probably a replacement movement for the original slow movement of his Violin Concerto No. 5 in A...
as a substitute slow movement for this concerto.
The whole piece is about 28 minutes long.