Symphony No. 29 (Mozart)

The Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201/186a, was completed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on 6 April 1774. It is, along with Symphony No. 25, one of his better known early symphonies. Stanley Sadie characterizes it as "a landmark ... personal in tone, indeed perhaps more individual in its combination of an intimate, chamber music style with a still fiery and impulsive manner."

Structure

<score>

\relative c {

 \tempo "Allegro moderato"
 \key a \major
 a4\p a, r8 a' a a |
 \repeat unfold 2 { gis8( a) a-. a-. } |
 b4 b, r8 b' b b |
 \repeat unfold 2 { ais8( b) b-. b-. } |
 cis4

} </score>

The symphony is scored for 2 oboes, 2 horns and strings, as was typical of early-period Mozart symphonies.

There are four movements:

1. Allegro moderato, 2/2
2. Andante in D major, 2/4
3. Menuetto: Allegretto – Trio, 3/4
4. Allegro con spirito, 6/8

The first movement is in sonata form, with a graceful principal theme characterized by an octave drop and ambitious horn passages. The second movement is scored for muted strings with limited use of the winds, and is also in sonata form. The third movement, a minuet, is characterized by nervous dotted rhythms and staccato phrases; the trio provides a more graceful contrast. The energetic last movement, another sonata-form movement in 6/8 time, connects back to the first movement with its octave drop in the main theme.

External links

• Symphony in A K. 201: Score and critical report (German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
• BBC Discovering Music, and audio of that program (1 hour)
• Symphony No. 29: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project