On National Teacher Day, meet the 2024-25 Kenan Fellows
GCSE Music Edexcel - Mozart 40
1. Symphony No 40 - Mozart
KEY FEATURES
This is quite a long work for you to learn. The
analysis in the text book is very good.
Here, you will find information in smaller chunks!
2. Instrumentation
First – Remember the Classical Orchestra from General Features?
This piece is a little different! Clarinets.
Originally not
in the piece, but
Mozart added
them later.
They were a
new invention
and he loved
the new sound
so much he
rewrote some
pieces to
include
them…includin
g Messiah by
Handel!
3. See
GENERAL
FEATURES
Structure
Mozart uses SONATA FORM to build the structure of this movement.
This is a common way of doing things in the CLASSICAL PERIOD
What happens in each section will be covered in other slides
Section Bars Keys used
First Subject 1-20 G Minor
Bridge Passage 20-44 Modulates to Bb
Major (relative
Short
major)
ending
section Second Subject 44-72 Bb Major
Codetta 73-100 Bb –ends in G
minor Explained
in
HARMONY/
Development 101-164 Gmin/E Min/A TONALITY
min/Dmin/Gmin
/C/F/Bb
Recapitulation 164-260 Gminor
Coda 260-299 G minor
4. Harmony/Tonality
Sonata Form is all about the relationship between keys.
Most common is the relationship between the TONIC (chord I)
and the Dominant (chord V) but in a minor key it often the
relationship between tonic and its’ RELATIVE MAJOR key
G minor Bb
Major
Which bits are in G Minor?
• 1st Subject Which bits are in Bb
•Start of Development Major?
•Recapitulation •2nd Subject
•Coda •Codetta (but finishes
in G min)
5. What happens in the development?
The DEVELOPMENT is where a composer can experiment.
Mozart goes through 7 keys in this sections.
Let’s see how they are related (read clockwise from the top)
…he reaches Bb major Gm Relative minor of the tonic
– the relative major of major (G Major)
G minor – and links Bbmaj Tonic Em
this to the start of the
RECAPITULATION ,
in the TONIC of G Minor
Fmaj Am Mozart
then uses
keys that
are 4 notes
Cmaj Dm
apart –
Gm until…..
Called a “cycle of 4ths”
6. Melody
There are 2 melodies used in this piece.
They are known as SUBJECTS in Sonata Form
1st Subject Descending Sequence
Repeats the first phrase, one note lower Look out for the
repeated F# in
this sequence
Played by violins in
Octaves, accompanied
by quaver chords in
violas
7. 2nd Subject In Bb Major – relative major!
Woodwind link passage
woodwind link and take over the tune
Notice the CHROMATIC Shared between strings and woodwind, this is
movement in the melody the first example played by the strings.
The use of semitones in the melody
creates a PATHETIQUE mood.
8. Try and learn the notes to these melodies, because….
The skill being tested is your ability to HEAR the missing notes and correctly identify
them. But….a few minutes work could mean that you remember them.
9. Texture
Is mostly Melody dominated Hompohony (Homophonic)
Look at the example from the first subject
melody
Violas and Cello/Bass play G minor chords.
Giving the HOMPOHONIC texture
10. Other Textures include IMITATION and CANON
See example from bars 81-84
However, it never reaches the same complexity as the polyphony in Baroque music
11. More Examples of Homphonic Texture
Bars –34-43 (including a strong DOMINANT PEDAL)
Bars 88-100
