Download Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat K. 364 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat K. 364 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)
Allegro Maestoso
Andante
Presto
As a genre the Sinfonia Concertante is considered a transitional form – an evolution of
the Baroque concerto grosso and a predecessor of the modern symphony. But, considering the singular importance of Mozart in the development of classical music, this Sinfonia
Concertante may be of greater significance than most. It can be viewed as transitional,
not only in terms of musical form but also in the life of its composer.
In 1777 Mozart received permission from his employer, the Archbishop of Salzburg, to
embark on a musical tour of Europe accompanied by his mother, a tour which would include Mannheim and Paris. This would be his first tour as an adult and without his father’s supervision. To young Wolfgang, who had chafed under father Leopold’s direction and under his employer’s demands, this must have been a liberating prospect.
The Sinfonia Concertante in E Flat was composed in 1779 shortly after his return from
the tour. He was now a young adult, flexing his compositional muscles, so to speak, and
eager to demonstrate what he had learned on his recent tour. He may well have been
subtly asserting his musical independence from the archbishop whose employ he would
soon leave. Mozart himself was, almost certainly the violist for whom the solo part was
written and, this may also have been a subtle declaration of independence since the
archbishop employed him as a violinist rather than as a violist. Probably the most “transitional” aspect of the Sinfonia in Mozart’s life, however, relates to the andante movement. Mozart’s mother had died in Paris during the tour and most music historians believe that the second movement, though not dedicated to her formally, was his requiem to
her memory.
Mozart’s recent visit to Mannheim is evident in the first, Allegro Maestoso movement.
The Mannheim school, a term which refers to both a group of composers who wrote for
the court orchestra of Mannheim and to the stylistic inventions they made famous, was
probably the eighteenth century’s most influential musical movement. His use of the full
orchestra “Mannheim crescendo” is just one example of this newfound influence. Mozart’s amazing gift for melody is displayed in the brilliant interchange between the solo
parts, while the texture of the orchestral accompaniment of this movement and, in fact,
the entire work possesses a wonderful richness due to Mozart’s division of the orchestra’s
violas into two parts. Breaking with tradition, Mozart wrote out all of the candenzas for
the Sinfonia apparently because, as the intended violist, he knew what he wanted to play
and wanted the violin’s cadenzas to provide a perfect compliment.
A point of interest which should be mentioned involves Mozart’s use of a scordatura or
retuning of the solo viola. Mozart evidently wanted the solo viola part to be easily distinguished from the section violas and, to achieve this he specified that the part be written
in D Major and the viola tuned up a half-step. This would give the part a brighter tone
quality and the stronger open string notes would be more predominant. Since the modern
viola’s neck and string tension have changed since Mozart’s time, modern performers do
not, typically, use this scordatura.
The Andante is movingly and intensely emotional. Beginning and ending in c minor, its
central section is in the key of E flat major but in this context the major key seems indescribably poignant. It is, essentially, a dialogue between the soloists; as in the first
movement, melody predominates but this is melody as expressively and wrenchingly personal as can be heard from the classical period.
As jolly as the Andante is moving, the Presto provides the listener with immediate emotional relief. This movement is in rondo form. The initial melody returns three times and
between each restatement there are interrelated musical “episodes.” It is filled with high
spirits and the writing for the winds, particularly the horns, is most effective. This happy
movement gives a perfect balance to the overall structure of the Sinfonia and leaves the
listener with sense of having come to an inner understanding that only music could convey.