Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

An architectural capriccio by Francesco Guardi

Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550

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Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor - K. 550

  • Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 - I. Molto allegro (Czech National Symphony Orchestra)
  • Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 - II. Andante (Czech National Symphony Orchestra)
  • Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 - III. Menuetto; Allegretto (Czech National Symphony Orchestra)
  • Mozart - Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 - IV. Allegro assai (Czech National Symphony Orchestra)
  • The tracks are performed by: Czech National Symphony Orchestra
    Recorded, produced, and published by: The Musopen Kickstarter Project
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/Musopen/record-and-release-free-music-without-copyrights
    License: CC Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal



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Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1788. It is sometimes referred to as the "Great G minor symphony", to distinguish it from the "Little G minor symphony", No. 25. The two are the only extant minor key among Mozart's symphonies.

The date of completion of this symphony is known exactly, since Mozart in his mature years kept a full catalog of his completed works; he entered the 40th Symphony into it on 25 July 1788. Work on the symphony occupied an exceptionally productive period of just a few weeks during which time he also completed the 39th and 41st symphonies (26 June and 10 August, respectively). Nikolaus Harnoncourt conjectured that Mozart composed the three symphonies as a unified work, pointing, among other things, to the fact that the Symphony No. 40, as the middle work, has no introduction (unlike No. 39) and does not have a finale of the scale of No. 41's.

The 40th symphony exists in two versions, differing primarily in that one includes parts for a pair of clarinets (with suitable adjustments made in the other wind parts). Most likely, the clarinet parts were added in a revised version. The autograph scores of both versions were acquired in the 1860s by Johannes Brahms, who later donated the manuscripts to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna, where they reside today.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._40_(Mozart)

  • All tracks on this page have been recorded and released to the public by the Musopen Kickstarter Project. For more informations, please visit:

    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/Musopen/record-and-release-free-music-without-copyrights

    https://musopen.org/

    All musical content on the Chamber Strings Ensemble Collection page is released under the CC Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal license.