How To Critique Mozart Symphony 40

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I listened to “Symphony N0. 40” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was composed on July 25th, 1788. Mozart finished this multiple movement work in just a few short weeks as he was also working on two other symphonies. The first movement is allegro, second is andante, third is minuete and trio, and finally, fourth is allegro. All of the movements except the third are in sonata allegro form. The third is in ternary form.
To start, the first movement of the piece is in sonata-allegro form. It opens kind of abruptly, and starts with a three-note motive. The piece seems to be rapidly picking up and getting louder as it goes on. As the movement continues more towards the end, it starts to slow down and becomes more calming. We can hear the original three note motive come back again at the end.
As we continue into the second movement, we learn that it is also in sonata-allegro form. This movement is much slower than the first one. It can feel suspenseful at times, but for the most part it is very calming. It features many different instruments from strings to woodwind, brass, and percussion. There are two versions of this symphony, one with clarinets and one without. The way the …show more content…

I had never heard it before, but after hearing the first movement I had a feeling that they were all going to be kind of varied but related around a certain tonic. Knowing that it was Mozart, I knew it wouldn’t disappoint. It was a very interesting piece to listen to. I never knew or even tried to suspect what was coming next. The symphony made lots of twists and turns for the listener. Mozart never got to hear this piece be performed, but some believe that he didn’t write it for a performance but nobody knows for sure. The piece was very enjoyable to listen to, and I would highly recommend it. I enjoyed every minute of listening to this multiple movement work, and very much appreciated all of the fundamentals that came along with

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