GCSE Music Revision 2014
Area of Study 1:
Mozart Symphony No.40
In G minor
Mov 1
Background: The Classical Era
 The Classical era (c.1750 – 1830)
 Movement away from the flamboyant and ornate, highly decorative
Baroque era
 Classical architecture reflected influences of the Greeks and Romans
 Music from the era echoes the clear cut and balanced architecture
 Emphasis placed on graceful and regular phrasing bringing a new
simplicity to musical composition
 Main composition forms were the Classical Symphony, String Quartet,
Concerto and Sonata
 The period was dominated by the Vienesse composers (Vienna). These
were: Mozart, Haydn & Beethoven
The Symphony
 One of the most important large scale genres invented during the
Classical era
 The word symphony comes from the Italian word for “sounding
together”
 The classical orchestra featured four families of instruments
 Early Classical symphony forms had 3 movements, however as the form
developed a minuet and trio (from the baroque era) was added between
the 2nd and 4th movement:
Mov 1
 Fast tempo
 Usually
written in
sonata form
Mov 2
 Slow tempo
 Various forms
includin
theme &
variations
Mov 3
 Minuet & Trio
Mov 4
 Fast tempo
 Written in either
rondo or sonata
form
Symphony No.40 in G Minor
 Written in the key of G Minor
 Melancholy feel (sadness)
 Written in sonata form:
Exposition – Main
themes or melodies are
presented
Development – develop
ideas from the
exposition
Recapitulation – final
section which balances
with the opening
 The score includes parts for the recently (at the time!) invented clarinets
 No orchestration for trumpets or drums (unusual in comparison to
modern symphony orchestras)
1st subject:
 Repeated idea which becomes an important motif throughout the rest of the
movement.
 Bars 16 – 20 strong wood wind chords
 Strings play D octaves which form a dominant pedal
Bars
20 44
Linking Passage
 First subject repeated but altered (bars 24 – 27)
 Oboes & bassoons provide “harmonic filling”
 Bar 27 – 28 perfect cadence in Bb Major
 Bars 30 – 33 descending sequences in the violins
 Bar 28 – forte for full orchestra in the relative major of Bb Major
Bars
44 72
2nd Subject:
 This theme is in the relative major (Bb major)
 Graceful use of semi tones
 Bar 44 - Falling figures represent sadness
 Bar 58 – a series of sequences extend the subject
 Bar 58 – 66 – Ab Major tonality, the music crescendos and ascends chromatically
Bars
73 100
Codetta
 This section is based on the first 3 notes of thee 1st subject
 Melodies cycled between different instruments (e.g. clarinet to bassoon)
 Bar 73 – Violins have the opening theme in minims – augmentation
 Bar 88 – 100 homophonic texture
 Repeat of the 1st subject which maintains balance and familiarity for the listener
Exposition Bars 1 - 100
Bars 1
- 20
 Music of the whole development is based entirely on the opening of the first
subject
 Melody is doubled in octaves by the violins
 Bars 107 – 114 descending chromatic chords in bassoons
Bars
115 138
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Bars
139 164
 Texture is reduces
 Use of dominant and tonic pedals in different parts
 Bar 153 – 160 – strong forte passage
Music resolves to the key of E Minor
Upper strings play a new quaver counter melody
Woodwind provides harmonic support
Bar 118 – modulation to A minor
Barr 120 – modulation to D minor
Bar 122 – modulation to G minor
Bar 124 – modulation to C Major
Constant explorations of new/different keys
Development Bars 101 - 164
Bars
101 114
 First subject in the key of G minor (a repeat of bars 1 – 20)
Bars
184 227
227 260
 Linking passage
 This section takes the music from the tonic to the dominant key
 Development of motif ideas heard previously
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Second subject stated in the tonic key of G minor
The melody is shared between the woodwind and strings (as in the exposition)
Bar 245 – 251 – rising one-bar sequences
Bar 252 – 254 – perfect cadence
Bar 254 – 260 – rising form of the theme hard at bars 66 – 72 in the exposition,
but now in G minor
Recapitulation Bars 164 - 299
Bars
164 184