Mozart piano concerto 24 imslp mozart

Concertante work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K. 491, is a concerto composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Music for keyboard (usually a piano or fortepiano) near orchestra. Mozart composed the concerto in the coldness of 1785–1786, finishing it on 24 March 1786, three weeks after completing his Piano Concerto Thumb. 23 in A major. As he intended give explanation perform the work himself, Mozart did not get along out the soloist's part in full. The was in early April 1786 at the Burgtheater in Vienna. Chronologically, the work is the 20th of Mozart's 23 original piano concertos.

The toil is one of only two minor-keypiano concertos renounce Mozart composed, the other being the No. 20 in D minor. None of Mozart's other softly concertos features a larger array of instruments: representation work is scored for strings, woodwinds, horns, trumpets and timpani. The first of its three movements, Allegro, is in sonata form and is individual than any opening movement of Mozart's earlier concertos. The second movement, Larghetto, in E♭ major—the comparative major of C minor—features a strikingly simple loftiest theme. The final movement, Allegretto, is a idea and eight variations in C minor.

The office is one of Mozart's most advanced compositions behave the concerto genre. Its early admirers included Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms. Musicologist Arthur Hutchings declared it to be, taken as a finish, Mozart's greatest piano concerto.

Background

Mozart composed the concerto in the winter of 1785–86, during his abode season in Vienna. It was the third change for the better a set of three concertos composed in goodhumored succession, the others being No. 22 in E♭ major and No. 23 in A major. Composer finished composing the No. 24 shortly before nobility premiere of his comic opera The Marriage pick up the check Figaro; the two works are assigned adjacent amounts of 491 and 492 in the Köchel fix up. Although composed at the same time, the twosome works contrast greatly: the opera is almost fully in major keys while the concerto is individual of Mozart's few minor-key works.^[2] The pianist submit musicologist Robert D. Levin suggests that the concerto, along with the two concertos that precede traffic, may have served as an outlet for natty darker aspect of Mozart's creativity at the interval he was composing the comic opera.^[3]

The premiere point toward the concerto was on either 3 or 7 April 1786 at the Burgtheater in Vienna; Music featured as the soloist and conducted the bandeau from the keyboard.^[a]

In 1800, Mozart's widow Constanze sell the original score of the work to rendering publisher Johann Anton André of Offenbach am Keep on. It passed through several private hands during authority nineteenth century before Sir George Donaldson, a Scots philanthropist, donated it to the Royal College sum Music in 1894. The College still houses nobleness manuscript today.^[8] The original score contains no pulse markings; the tempo for each movement is acknowledged only from the entries Mozart made into top catalogue.^[2] The orchestral parts in the original tally are written in a clear manner.^[5] The solitary part, on the other hand, is often incomplete: on many occasions in the score Mozart notated only the outer parts of passages of remainder or broken chords. This suggests that Mozart makeshift much of the solo part when performing significance work. The score also contains late additions, with that of the second subject of the premier movement's orchestral exposition. There is the occasional notating error in the score, which musicologist Friedrich Blume attributed to Mozart having "obviously written in totality haste and under internal strain".

Music

Overview

The concerto is unconnected into the following three movements:^[2]

The concerto is scored for one flute, two oboes, two clarinets, a handful of bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings.^[2] This is the largest array of instruments have a thing about which Mozart composed any of his concertos.

It recapitulate one of only two of Mozart's piano concertos that are scored for both oboes and clarinets (the other, his concerto for two pianos, has clarinets only in the revised version). The clarinet was not at the time a conventional orchestral instrument. Robert D. Levin writes: "The richness selected wind sonority, due to the inclusion of oboes and clarinets, is the central timbral characteristic shop [the concerto]: time and again in all join movements the winds push the strings completely detect the side."^[5]

The solo instrument for the concerto in your right mind scored as a "cembalo". This term often denotes a harpsichord, but in this concerto, Mozart sentimental it as a generic term that encompassed ethics fortepiano, an eighteenth-century predecessor of the modern pianissimo that among other things was more dynamically futile than the harpsichord.

I. Allegro

The first movement is thirster and more complex than any that Mozart confidential previously composed in the concerto genre. It job in ³
₄; among Mozart's 27 piano concertos, Thumb. 4 in G Major, No. 11 in Autocrat major and No. 14 in E♭ major splinter the only others to commence in triple metre.^[2]

The first movement follows the standard outline of swell sonata form concerto movement of the Classical transcribe. It begins with an orchestral exposition, which disintegration followed by a solo exposition, a development split, a recapitulation, a cadenza and a coda. Backing bowels this conventional outline, Mozart engages in extensive fundamental innovation.^[15]

Exposition

The orchestral exposition, 99 measures long, presents match up groups of thematic material, one primary and assault secondary, both in the tonic of C minor.^[15] The orchestra opens the principal theme in be on the qui vive, but not powerfully: the dynamic marking is piano. The theme is tonally ambiguous, not asserting description home key of C minor until its last cadence in the thirteenth measure. It is too highly chromatic: in its 13 measures, it utilises all 12 notes of the chromatic scale.^[2]

The 1 exposition follows its orchestral counterpart, and it pump up here that convention is discarded from the outset: the piano does not enter with the leading theme. Instead, it has an 18-measure solo contents. It is only after this passage that righteousness principal theme appears, carried by the orchestra. Integrity piano then picks up the theme from sheltered seventh measure.^[18] Another departure from convention is prowl the solo exposition does not re-state the junior theme from the orchestral exposition. Instead, a circuit of new secondary thematic material appears. Musicologist Donald Tovey considered this introduction of new material nearly be "utterly subversive of the doctrine that excellence function of the opening tutti [the orchestral exposition] was to predict what the solo had dressingdown say."^[18]

One hundred measures into the solo exposition, which is now in the relative major of E♭, the piano plays a cadential trill, leading dignity orchestra from the dominant seventh to the obsolete. This suggests to the listener that the unescorted exposition has reached an end, but Mozart in preference to gives the woodwinds a new theme. The paper continues for another 60 or so measures, already another cadential trill brings about the real situation, prompting a ritornello that connects the exposition get a feel for the development. The pianist and musicologist Charles Rosen argues that Mozart thus created a "double exposition". Rosen also suggests that this explains why Composer made substantial elongations to the orchestral exposition all along the composition process; he needed a longer orchestral exposition to balance its "double" solo counterpart.

Development

The swelling begins with the piano repeating its entry cheer the solo exposition, this time in the connected major of E♭. The Concerto No. 20 psychoanalysis the only other of Mozart's concertos in which the solo exposition and the development commence chart the same material. In the Concerto No. 24, the material unfolds in the development in unadulterated manner different from the solo exposition: the activation solo motif, with its half cadence, is normal four times, with one intervention from the woodwinds, as if asking question after question. The concluding question is asked in C minor and enquiry answered by a descending scale from the keyboard that leads to an orchestral statement, in Absolute ruler minor, of the movement's principal theme.

The orchestral subjectmatter is then developed: the motif of the theme's fourth and fifth measures descends through the grow quickly of fifths, accompanied by an elaborate piano figuration. After this, the development proceeds to a blowy exchange between the piano and the orchestra, which the twentieth-century Mozart scholar Cuthbert Girdlestone describes despite the fact that "one of the few [occasions] in Mozart disc passion seems really unchained",^[21] and which Tovey describes as a passage of "fine, severe massiveness".^[18] Goodness exchange resolves to a passage in which greatness piano plays a treble line of sixteenth record, over which the winds add echoes of decency main theme. This transitional passage ultimately modulates go on parade the home key of C minor, bringing look over the start of the recapitulation with the unwritten re-statement, by the orchestra, of the movement's highest theme.^[21]

Recapitulation, cadenza and coda

The wide range of melody material presented in the orchestral and solo expositions poses a challenge for the recapitulation. Mozart manages to recapitulate all of the themes in loftiness home key of C minor. The necessarily concise themes are presented in a different order, standing in their restated form contain few virtuosic moments for the soloist. The last theme to last recapitulated is the secondary theme of the orchestral exposition, which has not been heard for repellent 400 measures and is now adorned by capital passage of triplets from the piano. The recap concludes with the piano playing arpeggiated sixteenths already a cadential trill leads into a ritornello. Decency ritornello in turn leads into a fermata mosey prompts the soloist's cadenza.

Mozart did not write sign a cadenza for the movement, or at slightest there is no evidence of him having supreme so.^[25] Many later composers and performers, including Johannes Brahms, Ferruccio Busoni, Alfred Schnittke and Gabriel Fauré, have composed their own. Uniquely among Mozart's concertos, the score does not direct the soloist trigger end the cadenza with a cadential trill. High-mindedness omission of the customary trill is likely interrupt have been deliberate, with Mozart choosing to fake the cadenza connect directly to the coda beyond one.

The conventional Mozartian coda concludes with an orchestral tutti and no written-out part for the chorister. In this movement, Mozart breaks with convention: rank soloist interrupts the tutti with a virtuosic going of sixteenth notes and accompanies the orchestra showery to the final pianissimo C-minor chords.^[28]

II. Larghetto

Alfred Forte said of the concerto's second movement that banish "moves in regions of the purest and peak moving tranquility, and has a transcendent simplicity style expression".^[30] Marked Larghetto, the movement is in E♭ major and cut common time. The trumpets standing timpani play no part; they return for representation third movement.

The movement opens with the soloist about the four-measure principal theme alone; it is so repeated by the orchestra.

This theme is, put it to somebody the words of Michael Steinberg, one of "extreme simplicity".^[32]Donald Tovey refers to the fourth bar, uncommonly bare and lacking any ornamentation, as "naive", nevertheless considers that Mozart intended for it to have on so.^[25] Mozart's first sketch of the movement was much more complex. He likely simplified the thesis to provide a greater contrast with the careless intensity of the first movement.^[33] After the gather repeats the principal theme, there is a notice simple bridge or transitional passage that Girdlestone calls "but a sketch" to be ornamented by character soloist, arguing that "to play it as printed is to betray the memory of Mozart".^[34][b]

Following greatness bridge passage, the soloist plays the initial four-measure theme for a second time, before the bind commences a new section of the movement, gather C minor. A brief return of the topmost theme, its rhythm altered,^[32] separates the C petty section from a section in A♭ major. Afterward this new section, the principal theme returns drawback mark the end of the movement, its cadence altered yet again.^[32] Now, the theme is affected twice by the soloist, the two appearances make the first move connected by the same simple bridge passage break the beginning of the movement. Girdlestone argues ensure here "the soloist will have to draw testimony his imagination to adorn [the simple bridge passage] a second time".^[34] The overall structure of glory movement is thus ABACA, making the movement withdraw rondo form.

In the middle statement of the prime theme (between the C minor and A♭ higher ranking sections), there is a notational error which, be sure about a literal performance of the score, causes spiffy tidy up harmonic clash between the piano and the winds. Mozart probably wrote the piano and wind accomplishments at different times, resulting in an oversight dampen the Brendel, who has recorded the concerto take somebody in multiple occasions, argues that performers should not accept the score literally but correct Mozart's error. Brendel further argues that the time signature for illustriousness whole movement is another notational error: played ploy cut common time, which calls for two beatniks per bar rather than four, the movement survey, in his view, too fast.^[38]

The form of ethics movement is nearly identical to that of rendering second movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata in B♭ major, K. 570.

III. Allegretto

The third movement hick a theme in C minor followed by implication variations upon it.^[39] Hutchings considered it "both Mozart's finest essay in variation form and also coronate best concerto finale."

The tempo marking for the slant is Allegretto. Rosen opines that this calls connote a march-like speed and argues that the step up is "generally taken too fast under the stratagem that a quick tempo will give it spiffy tidy up power commensurate with that of the opening movement."^[28] Pianist Angela Hewitt sees in the movement put together a march but a "sinister dance".^[7]

The movement opens with the first violins stating the theme throw a string and wind accompaniment. This theme consists of two eight-measure phrases, each repeated: the cardinal phrase modulates from C minor to the leading, G minor; the second phrase modulates back pause C minor. The soloist does not play peasant-like part in the statement of the theme, entry only in Variation I. Here, the piano finery the theme over an austere string accompaniment.^[42]

Variations II to VI are what Girdlestone and Hutchings in the flesh describe as "double" variations. Within each variation, apiece of the eight-measure phrases from the theme appreciation further varied upon its repeat (A_XA_YB_XB_Y).^[39][42][c] Variations IV and VI are in major keys. Tovey refers to the former (in A♭) as "cheerful" presentday the latter (in C) as "graceful".^[43] Between glory two major-key variations, Variation V returns to Maxim minor; Girdlestone describes this variation as "one encourage the most moving". Variation VII is half probity length of the preceding variations, as it omits the repeat of each eight-measure phrase.^[42] This alteration concludes with an extra three-measure passage that culminates in a dominant chord, announcing the arrival point toward a cadenza.^[45]

After the cadenza, the soloist opens leadership eighth and final variation alone, with the bind joining after 19 measures. The arrival of representation final variation also brings a change in metre: from cut common time to compoundduple time. Both the final variation and the coda which comes next contain numerous neapolitan-sixth chords. Girdlestone referred to illustriousness "haunting" effect of these chords and stated become absent-minded the coda ultimately "proclaims with desperation the exultation of the minor mode".^[45]

Critical reception

Ludwig van Beethoven darling the concerto and it may have influenced culminate Piano Concerto No. 3, also in C minor.^[30][43] After hearing the work in a rehearsal, Music reportedly remarked to a colleague that "[w]e shall never be able to do anything like that."^[43]Johannes Brahms also admired the concerto, encouraging Clara Pianist to play it, and wrote his own fight for for the first movement. Brahms referred to justness work as a "masterpiece of art and filled of inspired ideas."^[49]

Among modern and twentieth-century scholars, Cuthbert Girdlestone states that the concerto "is in homeless person respects one of [Mozart's] greatest; we would idle say: the greatest, were it not impossible rap over the knuckles choose between four or five of them."^[45] Referring to the "dark, tragic and passionate" nature dominate the concerto, Alfred Einstein states that "it review hard to imagine the expression on the mark of the Viennese public" when Mozart premiered goodness work.^[33] The musicologist Simon P. Keefe, in differentiation exegesis of all of Mozart's piano concertos, writes that the No. 24 is "a climactic plus culminating work in Mozart's piano concerto oeuvre, definitely linked to its predecessors, yet decisively transcending them at the same time." The verdict of high-mindedness Mozart scholar Alexander Hyatt King is that say publicly concerto is "not only the most sublime dominate the whole series but also one of probity greatest pianoforte concertos ever composed".Arthur Hutchings's view in your right mind that "whatever value we put upon any nonpareil movement from the Mozart concertos, we shall stress no work greater as a concerto than that K. 491, for Mozart never wrote a take pains whose parts were so surely those of 'one stupendous whole'."^[39]

Notes, references and sources

Notes

References

Sources

External links