KSKS55 OCR AS: Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor K466, first movement

Alan Charlton is an by Alan Charlton author, composer and examiner and has written numerous books and articles on INTRODUCTION music education. He taught for a number of years at Bedford This resource is the last in a three-part series to support the teaching of the three new OCR AS Prescribed School, initially Orchestral Scores in Unit G353: Introduction to Historical Study in Music, for examination in June 2016. as a composer- The primary focus of this article will be on The Expressive Use of Instrumental Techniques, Tonality in-residence, and has a PhD in (The Language of Western Tonal Harmony), the Context of Mozart’s concerto and a comparison of two composition from recordings of the work. the University of Bristol.

Exam board requirement

In the OCR AS specification, knowledge of the AS set works are tested in Sections B and C of the Unit G353 examination paper, Introduction to Historical Study in Music.

In Section B, students are provided with a short printed extract from the score from one of the three prescribed orchestral scores. They answer questions based on this and on two different recordings of the same extract. This section is worth 25 marks (the prescribed jazz works make up the remaining 15 marks available in this section).

In Section C, students answer one question from a choice of three on the background to the prescribed works.

Additional resource

A sheet, ‘Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor K466, first movement: themes’, detailing the main themes from the Concerto, is included with this resource.

Scores: Bärenreiter Urtext, Eulenburg and others publish cheap miniature scores of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor K466.

Keyboard reductions for two pianos (solo part and orchestral part) are also available.

Recordings: the comparison section in this article is based on the CD/download recording of Mitsuko Uchida (piano) and the Cleveland Orchestra on Decca (available from iTunes, Amazon, as a CD, etc) and the Robert Levin (fortepiano) and the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood recording on L’Oiseau-Lyre (available on YouTube: the timings given in this article are based on the YouTube version). The timings may differ slightly from those given in this resource if the recordings are obtained from other sources (eg Spotify).

Further reading: detailed analysis of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, as well as detailed discussion of the Concerto, background information and performance practice issues surrounding the work are in David Grayson’s excellent book, Mozart Piano Concertos Nos 20 and 21 (Cambridge University Press).

1 Music Teacher March 2016 CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND TO MOZART’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 20 IN D MINOR K466

Mozart: biography

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was an Austrian composer who is widely regarded as one of the most significant classical composers. Active in the Classical period of music history (roughly 1750-1827), he was responsible, along with Joseph Haydn and, later, Ludwig van Beethoven, for taking the relatively simple, almost naive musical style of the early Classical period and developing it into something sophisticated, expressive and refined. He developed straightforward musical forms into complex, large-scale structures, consequently expanding the expressive range of the music.

A child prodigy who could play the piano aged three and was composing by the time he was five, the young Mozart was toured round the aristocratic courts of Europe by his father, Leopold, and by the age of 11, he had already composed his first opera. After further touring, which took him to Italy, Germany and Paris, Mozart returned to Austria, where he spent the remainder of his life, first at Salzburg and later in Vienna. He was extremely prolific, and in the last three years of his life produced an astonishing stream of masterpieces, which include the operas Così fan tutte and The Magic Flute, the last three symphonies and the unfinished Requiem. Beset by ill health and financial problems, he died in 1791, and was buried in an unknown location with others who died at the same time.

He composed in all genres of the time: serious and comic operas, symphonies, concertos, chamber music, keyboard music, vocal and choral music. He was particularly important in establishing the piano as a solo instrument and also wrote important works for clarinet and French horn that have become central to the repertoire of those instruments. In opera, he not only exploited the technical capabilities of the human voice to an unprecedented extent, but also found a musical way of depicting the complex emotions and interactions of on-stage characters that greatly surpassed the achievements of his predecessors.

The Classical period

The Classical period of music history (roughly between 1750 and the death of Beethoven in 1827) followed the Baroque period (c1600-1750) and was succeeded by the Romantic period (1827-1899).

The Classical style originated in the ‘galant’ style of the mid-18th century, which used simple harmonies and sudden contrasts of texture and dynamics, and whose directness was perhaps a reaction against the complex counterpoint and chromaticism of the late Baroque period. As the 18th century went on, this style was developed and refined, with some of the contrapuntal complexity of late Baroque music eventually being reintroduced, so that by the mid 1770s the Classical style was a fully developed musical language.

Some general characteristics of music of the Classical period – all of which may be heard in Mozart’s Piano Concerto K466 – are: „„ the use of balanced phrasing (or question-answer phrasing), bringing about the feeling of a musical ‘conversation’. „„ ‘Classical’ forms that had a particular emphasis on symmetry, balance and proportion: sonata form, ternary form, variation form and rondo form were particularly popular. „„ strongly defined key relationships, particularly between tonic and dominant (or tonic and relative major in minor-keyed movements). „„ frequent cadences, particularly perfect, imperfect and interrupted. „„ a much more flexible harmonic rhythm (ie the frequency of chord changes) than in Baroque music, ranging from very slow to fast. „„ expressive use of melodic dissonances, such as suspensions and accented appoggiaturas.

Music Teacher March 2016 2 „„ ornamentation such as trills, appoggiaturas and mordents, which often give the music a ‘graceful’ quality. „„ mainly homophonic textures (melody and accompaniment textures are particularly common), although monophonic and contrapuntal textures also occur. „„ sudden contrasts of texture, instrumentation and dynamics, as well as crescendos and diminuendos. „„ use of certain types of figuration in accompaniment parts, such as repeated notes, and broken chord patterns like the Alberti bass.

One very important feature of the Classical period was the gradual disappearance of the basso continuo, the group of instruments usually including a harpsichord or organ, that played the bassline and filled out the harmonies in Baroque ensemble music. Typically a figured bass was written under the bassline, from which a keyboard player would improvise a harmonic accompaniment. From about the 1740s, however, composers of orchestral music started to replace these figured bass improvisations with their own written-out parts. This enabled them to explore new textures of their own making, bringing a greater flexibility and creativity to the art of orchestration, which in turn became a valuable tool for helping to define the music’s structure and for conveying particular moods.

The removal of the basso continuo also brought about more subtle dynamic contrasts, with sforzandos, diminuendos and crescendos becoming commonplace, replacing the terraced dynamics of Baroque music, which had tended to be either loud or soft.

Remnants of the basso continuo tradition remain in Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, K466: in some scores, in the orchestral passages, the bassline is written into the left-hand stave of the piano part: this is omitted in most performances, but may be added in authentic performances.

The Classical concerto

The Classical concerto was the successor to the Baroque concerto and bore many similarities to it. The most obvious was its alternation between ‘tutti’ passages for the whole orchestra and ‘solo’ passages for the solo instrument, with light accompaniment, which parallels the Baroque concerto grosso with its solo and ripieno sections. The Classical concerto tended to have the following characteristics: „„ usually in three movements, in the pattern fast-slow-fast. „„ the first movement was usually in sonata form. „„ the second movement was often in sonata form or variation form. „„ the finale was often in sonata-rondo form. „„ a cadenza (an improvisation for soloist alone) was often included towards the end of each movement.

Mozart’s favourite solo concerto instruments were piano (27 concertos) and violin (five concertos), and he also wrote concertos for horn (four concertos) as well as flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon.

Mozart and other Classical composers also composed concertos for two or more solo instruments such as flute and harp, and violin and viola.

Background to the composition and performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, K466

Composed between mid-January and 10 February 1785, when Mozart was 29, the Piano Concerto in D minor, K466, has become one of Mozart’s best-known and most highly regarded concertos. At the time of its composition, Mozart was based in Vienna, and he wrote the work for the first of six Friday concerts that he promoted himself in the Mehlgrube concert hall, on 11 February. He only finished the work the day before the first performance. This meant that he was still supervising the copying of parts on the day of the concert, so the orchestra did not have time to rehearse the final movement at all. His father, Leopold Mozart, arrived in time to hear the first performance and wrote, ‘The concert was magnificent and the orchestra played splendidly.’ The Concerto was given a further performance on 15 February and it may have been performed several more times in the weeks to follow: Leopold complained about the huge number of concerts he had to attend during his ten-week stay in Vienna.

3 Music Teacher March 2016 The main incentive for Mozart’s composition of the Piano Concerto in D minor, K466, was financial: there were 150 subscribers to the six Friday concerts at the Mehlgrube, each of whom paid a souverain d’or, so the whole series earned Mozart about 150 souverains d’or. After the costs of paying for the rental of the hall and for the orchestral musicians, Mozart was left with a considerable profit (to put this in context, his yearly rent was about 35 souverains d’or).

Additionally, the piano concerto was an excellent medium for Mozart to promote his skills as a piano virtuoso When performing and composer, and so undoubtedly helped to increase his reputation and to enhance his prospects of receiving the concerto, Mozart would direct paid work, such as commissions and performance opportunities. (conduct) from the keyboard as well The venue in which Mozart performed his concerto for the first time was a large room on the second floor of the as playing the solo part. Mehlgrube, a building owned by the City of Vienna, which had been constructed in 1697 and was demolished in 1897. This room could seat about 150 to 200 people, or more if some audience members stood and if smaller adjoining rooms were used. The audience members are likely to have been among the more privileged members of Viennese society, and included a large number of the aristocracy.

THE EXPRESSIVE USE OF INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUES

Mozart’s use of instrumentation is broadly representative of the ‘high’ Classical period, in which the orchestra comprises a string section and a medium-sized woodwind and brass section. Orchestral techniques, such as creating dialogue between groups of instruments and deploying instruments to obtain a specific tone colour, are more developed and refined than in the Baroque period, but the different sections of the orchestra generally play as separate units, and do not exploit colouristic instrumental effects as much as in the late Classical/early Romantic period.

Orchestral forces

The instruments used and their transpositions are summarised below:

Section Instruments Notes Woodwind 1 flute 2 oboes 2 bassoons Brass 2 horns in D notes sound a minor 7th lower than written 2 trumpets in D notes sound a major 2d higher than written For a discussion 2 timpani, tuned to D of the numbers of and A stringed instruments used, please Solo piano see Performance practice later in this Strings Violins 1 and 2 article. Violas Cellos Double basses notes sound an octave lower than written

It can be helpful to GENERAL APPROACH TO ORCHESTRATION annotate the score Ignoring the solo piano for the time being, we can make the following general observations about the orchestral with the points on writing: instrumentation, tonality, and so „„ The strings have the bulk of the material. on, perhaps using „„ The wind generally support the strings. colour-coding for „„ The wind sometimes play on their own (eg bars 167-173). different elements.

Music Teacher March 2016 4 „„ The brass usually play in loud, tutti passages (eg bars 28-32). „„ The brass never play on their own. „„ The wind and brass sometimes combine without strings (eg bars 88-90). „„ There is sometimes dialogue between different sections or groups of instruments (eg bars 33-38).

However, when the solo piano is added, a new range of combinations and dialogues becomes possible: „„ piano on its own „„ piano with main melodic material, supported by orchestra „„ piano in dialogue with the orchestra „„ orchestra with main melodic material, piano adding figuration

Therefore, Mozart’s approach to the concerto is already very different to the strict alternations between solo and tutti passages of the Baroque concerto grosso. As well as dialogues between soloist and orchestra, there are some passages in which one accompanies the other, others where the piano decorates the orchestra’s material, and a variety of different interactions within the orchestra itself.

WRITING FOR SOLO PIANO Mozart’s writing for solo piano in this movement is largely based on graceful, lyrical solo passages with simple accompaniments, and fast-moving figuration: broken chords, scales and arpeggios.

Notice that the piano textures are often relatively thin, sometimes being made up of a single line. This suited the pianos of Mozart’s time, which had a light action, were much quieter than today’s pianos and often had an unreliable damping mechanism. Examples of ‘thin’ textures include: „„ the single line in bars 116-120 „„ the melody and two-part accompaniment in bars 77-87 „„ the semiquaver scales and figuration in bars 137-8, 141-2, 143, 145 and 148-150 „„ the upward arpeggios in bars 156-7

Melodic writing There is not a huge amount of purely melodic writing for piano in the movement, but there are two important themes for piano solo: at bars 77-87 and 127-135. These are characterised by a graceful feel and subtle ornamentation. To bring the melody to the fore, they have simple accompaniments, consisting either of a simple countermelody in 3rds or 6ths (77-87) or simple chords (127-135).

Ornamentation This occurs in both the melodic and figuration-based passages: „„ Trills: these normally signal an impending cadence, eg bars 152, 158, 173, 329, 337, 355 and 365 (to signal the end of the cadenza), but are also used as a decoration on the fourth quaver of bars 147 and 148. „„ Appoggiaturas: eg bars 87, 128, 132, 135. „„ Turns: bars 194, 196, 208, 210, etc. „„ Upward flourish: bar 354 – this is a rapid scale leading into the next bar.

Figuration The showy side of Mozart’s concerto writing here is represented by passages of semiquaver figuration of varying types. These types of figuration were standard in keyboard music of the time, but Mozart uses a full range of different patterns here to suit the exact expressive quality demanded at each point, giving the music great momentum and interest and creating many interpretative possibilities

Broken octaves Mozart often uses broken figuration, where a two-part line is broken by alternating between the two notes, producing a brilliant, glittering or explosive effect: „„ Broken octaves: in the left hand in bars 159-161; in the right hand in bars 153-155. „„ Alternating between a pedal note and a moving line: left hand bars 153-155. „„ Broken 6ths: bars 199-200. „„ Broken 3rds: bar 200 beats 2-3.

5 Music Teacher March 2016 Sequential figuration, where the same pattern of notes is repeated at a different pitch, is commonly used: „„ bars 984-106 (a four-note semiquaver pattern based on a written-out turn) „„ bars 234-2352 (a four-note semiquaver pattern) „„ bars 2362-2372 (a two-note semiquaver pattern) „„ bars 248-249 (an eight-note semiquaver pattern) „„ bars 3502-352 (a four-note semiquaver pattern) „„ bars 354-5 (a repeated Alberti bass pattern)

Arpeggio-based figuration „„ bars 156-157 (rising eight-note semiquaver arpeggios) „„ bars 167-168 (falling four-note semiquaver arpeggios) „„ bars 279-281 (rising and falling arpeggios in triplet quavers)

Scale-based figuration (conjunct movement) „„ bars 124-5 „„ bars 137-8 „„ bars 169-1712 „„ bars 3002-301 „„ bars 316-317 (chromatic) „„ bars 344-347 (left hand)

Octave doubling Depending on the dynamic, this can give the piano more volume, power and/or richness, important for projecting figuration in louder passages and providing a richer and more sonorous bass line: „„ bars 168-171 „„ bars 2313-241 (left hand only) „„ bars 3382-340 (the notes on the quaver beats are two octaves apart) „„ bars 348-349 (left hand) „„ bars 351-352

Other parallel movement Semiquaver figuration and quaver movement are often combined to create parallel movement: „„ bars 227-228, where the two moving parts are in parallel 10ths „„ bars 321-326, where the two moving parts are in parallel compound 6ths (321-2), 6ths (323-4), the 10ths (3252-326)

Contrary motion This is used effectively in a few places, eg bars 213-214.

WRITING FOR WOODWIND Writing for flute The flute is the only wind instrument represented by a single instrument rather than a pair, so it has a slightly different role than, say, the two oboes. Its material includes: „„ solo lines: bars 14-15, 34, 36, 38 „„ as the highest voice in a tutti texture: bars 17-22 „„ as the highest voice in a wind texture: bar 110 „„ inverted pedals: bars 44-6, 58-60, 88

Writing for oboes As they are in a pair, the oboes often play the same line in homorhythm: in unison (eg bars 44-46), octaves (33-38), 3rds (24-27) or a mixture of all three (bars 49-61).

Notable prominent roles for the oboes include chains of suspensions (eg bars 39-43 and bars 75-76); occasional short solos for the first oboe (eg bars 135-7); dialogues with other instruments (eg with bassoons in bars 88-89 and with bassoons/violins in 277-280); and accompaniment textures in which the oboe(s) play the highest line(s) (eg 243-250).

Music Teacher March 2016 6 While the oboes usually act as a pair, sometimes the first oboe doubles the flute on melodic lines in harmony (eg bars 14-15 and 394-5).

In tutti textures, they generally fill out the harmony (eg bars 110-114, where they also reinforce the dotted rhythm), or sometimes reinforce a melodic line (eg bars 375-377, where they double bassoons and lower strings).

Writing for bassoons The bassoons have an independent line for much of the movement: they are not tied to doubling the bassline as is generally the case in Baroque music. They often play with the woodwind as a section, perform short solos, sometimes double the bassline and sometimes have a bassline of their own. Examples of their material include: „„ short solo lines: bars 10-12 (held note); 24 (in dialogue with the oboes); 88-89 (in dialogue with the oboes); and the first bassoon’s arpeggiated quaver bassline in 136-143. „„ contributing to woodwind textures: bars 33-38 (a homophonic texture with oboes); the sustained chords in bars 218-250; 283-4. „„ contributing to mixed string/wind textures: bars 51-2. „„ doubling the cello/bass line: bars 44-48, 58-63, 66-71, 390-397. „„ playing its own bassline: the held bass notes, bars 16-20, 174-178 and other places.

WRITING FOR BRASS Writing for horn Mozart was writing for natural horns (horns with no valves), that could only be relied upon to produce notes of the harmonic series of the key in which they were ‘crooked’. This movement uses a pair of horns in D: the notes they produce are a minor 7th lower than written in the score. The notes they could produce without handstopping, starting from A a compound minor 7th below middle C and going upwards, are: A, D, F sharp, A, D, E, F sharp, G, A. These are written as G below middle C, C, E, G, C, D, E, F, G respectively. However, Mozart also includes handstopped notes (produced by the player closing the bell of their horn with the hand): written E flats, sounding as F naturals (bars 174-178) and B flats, sounding as C naturals (179-80).

Because of their limited range of notes, the horns tend to play mostly in passages where the music is in the tonic or dominant key. They often play pedal notes and provide rhythmic reinforcement to tutti passages in tandem with trumpets and timpani, and they sometimes contribute to homophonic woodwind passages. Examples of these points include: „„ Pedal notes: bars 8-10, 58-61, 242-249, 375-383 „„ Rhythmic reinforcement of tutti: bars 16-23, 28-32, 44-56, 391-397 „„ Combining with wind: bars 88-91, 242-249, 313, 317

Writing for trumpet and timpani Note that by Again, Mozart was writing for natural rather than valved trumpets, and, not being able to handstop, they could Mozart’s time the tradition of very high play even fewer notes than the horn. In this movement, they and the timpani (which have only two notes to play: ‘clarino’ trumpet tonic and dominant), play mostly in tutti sections, adding rhythmic definition and heightening loud dynamics. playing featured in Bach’s Brandenburg Note that the timpani are written as transposing instruments in some scores: whereas their written pitches are Concerto No. 2, for example, had died G and C, the actual notes produced will be a tone higher: A and D. out: trumpets played in a lower register Typical material includes: and mostly played fanfare-like material. „„ the dotted rhythms of trumpets in bars 28-31 (reinforcing those of the wind and horns). „„ the timpani’s reinforcement of the cadences in the same bars, playing on beats 4 and 1. „„ the rhythmic reinforcement, mainly of beat 1, by trumpets and timpani in bars 44-67. „„ the rhythmic reinforcement by trumpets and timpani, but at a piano dynamic, in bars 88-91. „„ the forte interjections in bars 204-5 and 218-9. „„ the trumpets contributing to the woodwind chord in bars 350-353 (at a piano dynamic).

WRITING FOR STRINGS The strings have the most substantial role out of the different orchestral sections here, and also play the most varied material. Their ability to play quietly makes them the obvious choice for accompanying the piano, where

7 Music Teacher March 2016 they tend to have fairly simple textures. In the sections for orchestra alone, they have more varied and complex material.

The string writing is much more concerned with creating varied and exciting textures than is the case in Baroque music. Mozart uses sudden textural change to add interest and to create expressive contrasts that engage the listener. The variety and rapidity of textural change can be seen in the opening 47 bars: „„ bars 1-15: the violins and violas play pulsating, quiet, syncopated material, while the cellos and basses play short flourishes that accent the strong beats. „„ bars 16-20: the first violins and cellos/basses exchange flourishes and staccato, descending crotchet arpeggios, while violin 2 and the violas play harmonic filler material in ‘scrubbed’ repeated semiquavers. „„ bars 25-27: the violins play a disjointed melody in 3rds, the divisi violas play harmonic filler material in oscillating staccato quavers, and the cellos/basses play an arpeggiated bassline in detached quavers. „„ bars 28-31: the violins have double and triple stops on beats 1 and 4, reinforcing the cadences, the cellos and basses play a conjunct, sometimes chromatic bassline in quavers and are doubled by violas who play in double strokes. „„ bars 39-43: violins 1 and 2 pass a short motif to and fro between them, while the lower strings have a bassline in detached crotchets on every minim beat. „„ bars 44-47: the violins play an ascending line in double strokes, while the lower strings have a bassline in quavers that mostly moves in parallel to the violins. „„ bars 71-77: in a more expressive passage, the first violins have a sometimes syncopated melody, the second violins play a disjunct countermelody in quavers, the violas add a second countermelody, while the cellos/ basses play a sustained bassline in minims.

Textures in which the strings are accompanying the piano are similarly varied, some being based on the textures and material introduced in the introduction of the movement, and others support the piano. Examples include: „„ bars 104-5: violins and violas add offbeat quavers, cellos/basses play a legato bassline in crotchets. „„ bars 124-5: a simple, sustained harmonic accompaniment. „„ bar 126: detached chordal accompaniment. Note that although „„ bar 144: a scale in 3rds in the violins, gently shadowing the piano part. the cellos and „„ bars 147-148. a homorhyhmic accompaniment, supporting the changes in harmony in the piano part. basses share „„ bars 156-158: a sustained chordal accompaniment, adding richness and resonance to the piano’s figuration. the same stave, there are several „„ bars 232-234: strings in octaves add a bassline based on the opening flourishes against the piano’s figuration. passages for cellos „„ bars 319-330: the strings shadow the piano line, filling out the harmony, adding resonance or rhythmic alone (eg the definition and picking out short motifs. basses are omitted on the semiquaver triplets in bars 97- A variety of string techniques and textures are used in the work: 103 and 261-268 to „„ Divisi strings (‘div.’). A string section (eg violas) is divided into two or more groups, which play separate enable the piano’s left hand part to lines. This is used when a composer requires more notes to be played simultaneously. Eg bars 25-7, violas. be heard more „„ Double and triple stopping. Double stopping is a technique on stringed instruments in which two notes on clearly, and also in different strings are played simultaneously, and triple stopping is when three notes are played at once. They bars 136-149 and tend to be used as percussive effects, creating sudden accents. Eg bars 28-32, violins; bars 58-61, violin 1. 311-316 to improve the balance in the „„ Rapid repeated notes. Also known as ‘scrubbing’, this effect tends to be used to add excitement to loud, woodwind/piano dramatic passages. Eg bars 16-20, violin 2 and violas; bars 44-47, violins; bars 58-60, violins. solo section).

TONALITY AND HARMONY

Mozart’s use of harmony and tonality in this movement is typical of his musical language and that of the Classical period. Notable features of interest are listed below.

Extensive use of cadences at the ends of phrases. These include: „„ perfect cadences, especially the pattern Ic-V-I (eg bars 433-44, 703-71, 88-89, 173-174). „„ imperfect cadences (eg bars 274-281, 31-32, 1304-131). „„ occasional interrupted cadences (eg bars 50-1).

Music Teacher March 2016 8 Other harmonic features include: „„ tonic pedals (eg bars 58-61, flute/horns, inverted) „„ dominant pedals (eg bars 2653-267 (inverted), 299-300) „„ chromaticism (eg bars 58-60, 165-166, 213-214, 351-2) „„ dominant 7ths (eg piano left hand bars 883, 327) „„ dominant 9ths (eg the D flats and B flats in bars 232-3) „„ Neapolitan harmonies (the chord of the flattened supertonic, eg bars 49, 3071, 348) „„ augmented 6th chords (eg the French 6ths at bars 634, 682, the Italian 6ths in bar 250, on quavers 4, 6 and 8, the German 6th in bars 246-247) „„ diminished 7ths (eg bars 19, 328) „„ sequences (eg bars 115-116 are repeated sequentially in bars 117-8 and 119-120; bars 230-233 are repeated sequentially in 234-237 and 238-241) „„ chains of suspensions (eg bars 39-43)

There are also many melodic dissonances, such as suspensions, appoggiaturas, auxiliary notes and anticipations.

Note that a detailed understanding of the structure is Structure and tonal structure not required in the examination, but an appreciation It is easiest to think of the movement as being in sonata form. However, this is open to interpretation. Elements of the overall of the Baroque concerto grosso, with its alternation between orchestral and solo passages, are present. Also, structure helps with the long orchestral section at the beginning could be thought of either as an introduction, or as the first understanding the exposition of a double-exposition sonata-form movement. handling of tonality in the movement. A typical scheme of a sonata form first movement of a concerto in a minor key is given below:

Students could be Section Subsection Key Comments asked to try to spot where the different Introduction Tonic introduces most of the sections begin in main themes the score. However, they are not obvious, Exposition 1st group Tonic introduces most of the as Mozart uses main themes so many different themes. 2nd group Relative major a contrasting group of themes in a contrasting key Development various related keys material from the exposition is developed Recapitulation 1st group Tonic 2nd group Tonic 2nd group now in tonic cadenza various keys, ending on improvisation themes used dominant chord and trill so far coda Tonic rounds the movement off

9 Music Teacher March 2016 One possible interpretation of the form of the first movement of K466 is given in the tablebelow:

Bar Section Subsection Themes Tonality The themes used numbers in this table (A1, A2, etc) are on the 1 Introduction A1(bar 1), A2 (bar 16), D minor downloadable sheet A3 (bar 28), A4 (bar 33), included with this B3 (bar 44), B4 (bar 71) resource [LINK: to downloadable PDF]. 77 Exposition 1st group S (bar 77), A1 (bar 91), D minor [David – I’ll add this A3 (bar 108), A4 (bar as soon as I can] 115) 127 2nd group B1 (bar 127), B2 (bar F major 143), B3 (bar 153), A2 (bar 174), B4 (bar 186) 192 Development S (bar 192), A1 (bar 202), S (bar 206), A1 (bar 216), S (bar 220), A1 (bar 232), A2 (bar 250) 254 Recapitulation 1st group A1 (bar 254), A2 (bar D minor 269), A3 (bar 281), A4 (bar 288) 302 2nd group B1 (bar 302), B2(bar D minor 318), B3 (bar 330), A1/ A2 (bar 356) 365 Cadenza 366 Coda B3 (bar 366), B4 (bar D minor 384), A1 (bar 390), A2 (bar 394)

Note that Mozart uses many different themes in each group. The theme S (the theme played by the piano on its first solo entry) could alternatively be said to be part of the introduction, with the exposition starting in bar 91: this is supported by the fact that the recapitulation begins with A1 in bar 254 rather than S.

The main keys used are the tonic (D minor) and its relative major (F major). The development passes through G minor (iv), E flat major (flattened II), F minor (iii), G minor (iv) and A major (V), which are all closely related keys to D minor.

PERFORMANCE ISSUES: POINTS TO CONSIDER

Recordings and performances of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, K466, tend to fall into two types: performances by present-day orchestras on modern-day instruments; and authentic performances, which aim to recreate what the music might have sounded like in Mozart’s time. Authentic performances use period instruments (original or replica instruments from Mozart’s time) and draw on academic research to incorporate other performance aspects such as the original seating positions, the numbers in the string section, the ornamentation, the cadenzas and whether the piano played basso continuo during orchestral passages.

Music Teacher March 2016 10 Points to listen for when comparing a modern with an authentic performance

Note that some of these points may be very subtle and difficult to hear: sounds vary considerably from recording to recording.

Aspect Modern performance Authentic performance Piano sound The piano will have a full The piano’s tone will be thinner, and will decay more tone, being played on a quickly, perhaps sounding ‘tinny’, ‘jangly’, ‘twangy’ or modern concert grand ‘muddy’, but this will depend on the instrument. The piano. The full tone may louder passages will be softer than on a concert result in a slower tempo in grand, so there may be less dynamic contrast. expressive passages, and dynamic contrasts may be fairly strong. Piano playing The piano will not play The piano may play the bassline and add inner basso continuo at all in the orchestral parts in the orchestral sections. However, even in sections (such as the authentic performances, the piano may not play at orchestral introduction). all in these passages, and if it does, it is often quiet and difficult to hear. String section The string section will be The string section may be small (maybe two or three relatively large (four or desks of first violins, or fewer): individual players more desks of first violins, may have to play more loudly in forte passages, for example), producing a resulting in a slightly rougher sound. This can be rich, full-toned sound. difficult to hear, though. Woodwind The wind instruments The wind instruments may have a slightly ‘rough’ section will sound rich and well- quality, with the oboes and bassoons sounding blended, and will usually slightly ‘buzzier’ than modern instruments. A wooden blend well with the brass flute will probably be used, which sounds mellower and strings. and less breathy than a modern flute and can sound more like a recorder. Individual instruments blend less easily and will tend to stick out more. Period instruments may also have slight tuning problems and a slightly uneven tone. To give students an idea of what period instruments look like, Brass section The horns and trumpets The horns and trumpets may sound slightly rougher there is a video of and timpani will have a refined, rich, in tone quality, and the timpani may have a more a performance on blended sound. Timpani military sound, with a strong attack and quick decay. YouTube in which tend not to stick out as period instruments much. (fortepiano, woodwind, brass) can be seen. The sound quality is not very good, however. Tips for comparing two performances of K466

Note that this is not COMPARISON OF TWO RECORDINGS: PRACTICE LISTENING the same recording as the videos on These two questions compare these authentic and modern performances of the first movement of Mozart’s Youtube of Uchida Piano Concerto, K466: and Camerata 1) Robert Levin (fortepiano), Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood Salzburg, or Uchida with the English 2) Mitsuko Uchida (piano), Cleveland Orchestra (available from iTunes, amazon, as a CD, etc) Chamber Orchestra. Question 1. Referring to the score, compare the ornamentation in bars 302-318 in the piano and orchestral parts in the following two recordings: 1) Robert Levin (fortepiano), Academy of Ancient Music/Christopher Hogwood (9:02-9:32) Answer: There are several instances of ornamentation that has been added by the performers: „„ piano: lower appoggiatura bar 302 beat 4; upper appoggiaturas bar 305 beats 3-4; dotted note and turn bar 306 beats 3-4; turn bar 309 beat 4 „„ oboe: lower auxiliary note and turn bar 314 beats 3-4

11 Music Teacher March 2016 2) Mitsuko Uchida (piano), Cleveland Orchestra (9:36-10:07) It may help to play Answer: through the extracts The ornamentation is the same as written in the score. section by section so that students can better hear the Question 2. Referring to the score, compare the two recordings in the table below, pointing out differences in differences between tone, blend and balance of the instruments, differences in tempo, dynamics, and any other notable features. them.

Bar numbers, what Timing B) Mitsuko Uchida (piano), Timing A) Robert Levin (fortepiano), to listen for (Uchida) Cleveland Orchestra (Levin) Academy of Ancient Music/ Christopher Hogwood

Overall tempo 0:42 0:45

28-32 (balance) 0:52 0:53

33-38 (instrumental 1:02 1:01 tone)

39-43 1:14 1:13 (instrumentation)

44-61 (tone, 1:24 1:22 balance, instrumentation)

62-70 (tempo in 1:57; 1:53 bars 67-9) (b.67: (b.67: 2:09) 2:03)

71-76 2:19 2:10 (instrumentation)

77-87 (tone, tempo, 2:32 2:22 performance)

Music Teacher March 2016 12 Answer:

Bar numbers, what Timing B) Mitsuko Uchida (piano), Timing A) Robert Levin (fortepiano), to listen for (Uchida) Cleveland Orchestra (Levin) Academy of Ancient Music/ Christopher Hogwood

Overall tempo 0:42 Slower 0:45 Faster

28-32 (balance) 0:52 Trumpets more audible on 0:53 Upper woodwind more audible on dotted rhythms dotted rhythms 33-38 (instrumental 1:02 Modern flute; even oboe tone 1:01 Wooden flute (more recorder-like tone) across the passage tone); oboe tone slightly uneven (bar 37 tone is different) 39-43 1:14 No piano 1:13 Piano audible in background (instrumentation) playing crotchets

44-61 (tone, 1:24 Woodwind less strident; 1:22 Woodwind more audible and more balance, trumpets and horns more strident on descending arpeggios; instrumentation) audible on sforzando notes piano is audible at times

62-70 (tempo in 1:57; Rubato: bar 68 is given more 1:53 Less rubato in bar 68 bars 67-9) (b.67: time: it is slower and the rests (b.67: 2:09) around it are extended 2:03) 71-76 2:19 No piano; strings are 2:10 Piano is audible; strings expressive (instrumentation) expressive and there is some but little rubato rubato 77-87 (tone, tempo, 2:32 Tone of a modern concert 2:22 Fortepiano tone (quieter, thinner); performance) grand piano (richer tone, tone subtle rubato (eg bar 85); sustained for longer); subtle generally a drier sound rubato, eg bar 78; generally more sustained, especially left-hand minims. Slight delay before piano’s initial entry

SUMMARY

This resource should provide a useful exam preparation for OCR students, and it can can be enhanced with practice questions and practice in score-reading (eg reading alto clef, identifying musical symbols and markings).

By following this resource, students should have gained a confident level of understanding of: „„ the background and original performance circumstances of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in D minor, K466. „„ Mozart’s use of instrumentation, especially his handling of the solo piano, different sections of the orchestra and individual orchestral instruments. „„ the tonal structure of the overture. „„ the main harmonic features of the movement. „„ what to listen for when comparing recordings of an authentic and a modern performance of the work.

13 Music Teacher March 2016