skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Author
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791: Austrian)
- father was a composer-violinist for Archbishop of Salzburg
- first started to compose at age 5
- had written sonatas, concertos, symphonies, religious works, and several operas by age 13.
- left the house of the Archbishop of Salzburg at age 25 after quarrel
- married in 1782
- died at age 35 of unknown causes
About the Piece
(much of thedescription comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is chamber music
- all in major keys
- stringed instruments only
First Movement:
- three themes alternate
- first theme is disjunct, ascending, has dotted rhythm
- second theme is more conjunct, graceful, smooth, has descending parts to it
- "closing" theme is very similar to the second; smooth, conjunct, and descending
- homophonic texture
Third Movement
- first theme (minuet) consists of two phrases, each repeated, AABB pattern
- minuet is fairly disjunct
- second theme (trio) is more conjunct, quieter, more expressive
- first theme is then repeated, this time with each phrase only once.
- homophonic
Purpose
- entertainment
- designed specifically for intimate settings, specifically for a string quartet
Reflections
An interesting piece, but I wouldn't say it's my all time favorite. Again it makes good "background" music, but listening attentively, I get too bored: there is too much repeating. It is also not a very virtuosic piece, so I think that plays into the fact that I don't enjoy it quite as much.