Conductormark Cedel Symphony in the French Capital During a Concert Tour in 1778; on June 12, He Reported That He Had Just Finished the Work
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UGA Symphony Orchestra Program Notes The University of Georgia By Steven Ledbetter Symphony Orchestra Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Symphony No. 31 in D Major, Tuesday K. 297, Paris Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgang Gottlieb February 21 2017 Mozart, who began calling himself Wolfgang 8:00 p.m. Amadeo about 1770 and Wolfgang Amadè in 1777, was born in Salzburg, Austria, on January 27, 1756, and died in Vienna on December 5, 1791. He composed his “Paris” conductorMark Cedel Symphony in the French capital during a concert tour in 1778; on June 12, he reported that he had just finished the work. The first assistant conductorClaudine Gamache performance took place at the Concerts Spi- rituels in Paris six days later; there was no conductor as such, the performance being as the Concerts Spirituels. The director, directed from the concertmaster’s place by Jean Le Gros, invited Mozart to compose PROGRAM the principal violinist Pierre Lahoussaye. The a symphony especially for one of its con- symphony is scored for pairs of flutes, oboes, certs. Le Gros had failed to perform a sin- clarinets, bassoons, horns, and trumpets, as fonia concertante for four woodwinds and Mozart Symphony No. 31 in D Major, K. 297, Paris well as timpani and strings. Performance orchestra that Mozart had written shortly Allegro assai time is approximately seventeen minutes. before (the work is now lost). But when the Andantino impresario requested a new symphony for Pre-Revolutionary Paris was the greatest Allegro performance on the feast of Corpus Christi musical center of Europe, and a success (June 18), Mozart’s reply was “Why not?” Le there meant a chance to win fame and for- Gros: “Can I rely on this?” Mozart: “Oh yes, tune. Mozart had enjoyed a glorious suc- INTERMISSION if I may rely with certainty on its being per- cess when he appeared in Paris as a child formed, and that it will not have the same prodigy. He returned in 1778 – now twenty- fate as my sinfonia concertante.” two – as part of an extended concert tour Bruckner Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, Cahis 11, Romantic designed to recall to the minds of fickle au- Mozart clearly determined to write a sym- Bewegt, nicht zu schnell diences the musician who had so delighted phony in accordance with French musi- Andante quasi allegretto them not many years before. Alas, he dis- cal taste (which he regarded as very low) covered to his chagrin that a former prod- Scherzo: Bewegt while at the same time turning out the best igy has little drawing power. Worse still, he work of which he was capable. He reveled Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell had to admit to himself that the music lov- in the large orchestra, especially the fine ing aristocrats (through whom he hoped to woodwind section (it was the first time he make a good deal of money giving lessons had ever been able to include clarinets in and private concerts) were often unreliable a symphony), and he used the ensemble to when it came to paying their bills. brilliant effect. He followed the French taste in writing only three movements (omitting But there was one place, at least, where Mo- the Minuet) and in not calling for the repeat zart achieved a signal success during his Pa- of entire sections. On June 12, Mozart re- HODGSON CONCERT HALL risian stay – in the orchestral series known ported to his father that the symphony was 44 Performance UGA February 2017 45 UGA Symphony Orchestra finished, adding his confident assertion that The dolorous letter of July 3 gives our only is probably Wolfgang’s calculated effort to performed is the manuscript version, which it would please “the few intelligent French direct report of the Parisian reaction to Mo- demonstrate to his worried father that he is most people believe to be Mozart’s later An- people who may be there – and as for the zart’s new symphony. Wolfgang’s account not allowing the big city to corrupt his morals. dante, though there is still some dispute on stupid ones, I shall not consider it a great is filled with absorbing and even humor- this point. In any case, we have the com- misfortune if they are not pleased.” ous detail, which makes it hard to remem- The opening Allegro assai gave the Parisians poser’s word that he considered both slow ber that he wrote it sitting by his mother’s plenty of coup d’archet for their money. As movements to be worthy. He noted that he had taken special pains deathbed. But, then, the whole letter is es- expected, the entire symphony begins with a in one area that was de rigeur: “I have sentially an act for his father’s benefit. series of repeated chords on the stereotyped The last movement is another of Mozart’s been careful not to neglect le premier coup rhythmic pattern that signaled the very no- delicious jokes on the Paris audience. He d’archet.” Mozart had been warned – and It was performed . with great ap- tion of “symphony” to a Parisian audience. had noticed that last movements also start- had no doubt heard for himself in various plause . I was very nervous at the But after the opening bars, the audience had ed forte (if only to hush the conversation concerts – that Paris expected every sym- rehearsal, for never in my life have I no reason to expect to hear the premier coup that followed the applause between move- phony to begin with this gesture (literally, heard a worse performance. You have d’archet for the rest of the work. It had served ments). But he caught the audience off “the first stroke of the bow”) – a powerful no idea how they twice scraped and its primary purpose in getting the piece start- guard with a rushing figure in the second tutti, often in unison, featuring an energetic scrambled through it. I was really ed and shushing the audience. But Mozart violins followed by a gentle, off-the-beat downbow on all the stringed instruments. in a terrible way and would gladly playfully filled the entire movement with ref- sigh in the first violins, while no one else “What a fuss the oxen here make of this have had it rehearsed again, but as erences to that opening gesture, so that it is plays. The gambit worked: “The audience, as trick! The devil take me if I can see any dif- there was so much else to rehearse, never absent long: a brilliant demonstration I expected, said ‘hush’ at the soft beginning, ference! They all begin together, just as they there was no time left.* So I had to that even the most hackneyed stereotype can and when they heard the forte, began at do in other places. It is really too much of go to bed with an aching heart and become a fresh, new idea in the hands of a once to clap their hands.” Even more daring a joke.” Yet, even while bowing to popular in a discontented and angry frame of genius. (The Parisian audience, to its credit, was the second theme, a fugato which must taste, Mozart had his own fun with it in the mind. I decided next morning not to recognized the joke.) have struck the pleasure-loving Parisians first movement of his symphony, turning a go to the concert at all; but in the eve- as frightfully learned – yet Mozart wears convention on its ear to the delight of the ning . I at last made up my mind to The Andante also found favor during the his contrapuntal learning so lightly that we connoisseurs in the audience. go, determined that if my symphony performance, especially with knowledge- never for an instant lose our admiration went badly as it did at the rehearsal, I able musicians. But Le Gros felt that it was of his sense of timing. Clearly the “Paris” Leopold Mozart’s opinion of French taste would certainly make my way into the too complex to win real public approval. As Symphony is one of those fortunate works was no higher than his son’s. He wrote to orchestra, snatch the fiddle out of the Mozart reported to Leopold on July 9: that perfectly gauges its audience ability to Paris on June 29 (after the premiere but hands of Lahoussaye, the first violin, follow. We still delight in Mozart’s wit and before he had received any word about it), and conduct myself! I prayed God He declares that it has too many quicksilver brilliance as did the Parisians at “I hope that Wolfgang’s symphony for the that it might go well, for it is all to His modulations and that it is too long. the Concert Spirituel performance in 1778. Concert Spirituel was a success. To judge by greater honor and glory; and behold He derives this opinion, however, from the fact that the audience for- the Stamitz symphonies which have been the symphony began. [Mozart here Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) engraved in Paris, the Parisians must be offered an extensive description of got to clap their hands as loudly and fond of noisy music.” When Leopold wrote the effect, movement by movement; it to shout as much as they did at the Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major, this letter, he did not know that his wife was went well.] I was so happy that as soon end of the first and last movements. Cahis 11, Romantic mortally ill in Paris; she died late on the af- as the symphony was over, I went off For indeed the Andante is a great fa- vorite with myself and with all con- ternoon of July 3.