Symphony No. 40

At a glance

• What it isthe first movement, Molto allegro, of Mozart's Symphony in G minor. Only two of his symphonies are in a minor key.
• Who, when, whyin summer 1788 Mozart completed three symphonies in quick succession within a few weeks; this is the second.
• What to listen forthe first theme of short, sighing fragments, the second theme traded between woodwinds and strings, and the turbulent middle section.

Listen for

• The first themea two-note sigh falling a half step repeats and becomes a melody. It sounds urgent from the very first bar.
• The second themea gentle tune shared bar by bar between strings and woodwinds, with a line sinking by half steps.
• The developmentthe first theme drifts through many keys and collides with itself, high and low instruments chasing each other.

When it was written

In 1788 Mozart was thirty-two. His popularity in Vienna had faded, and money was so tight that he repeatedly wrote to a friend asking for loans. Yet that summer he completed Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 and 41, the "Jupiter," in less than two months.

What these three symphonies were written for, and whether they were performed in Mozart's lifetime, is uncertain. But since he later made a separate version of No. 40 with added clarinets, many believe he had a performance in mind.