Ian Sidden

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Mozart Month: Day 27 with his “Alla Turca” Piano Sonata

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I enjoyed the brief passage in yesterday’s violin concerto that prompted the nickname “Turkish”. I know next to nothing about whether it in fact sounded like Turkish music or not, but I nevertheless enjoyed it. Here’s another piece that claims to owe something to Turkish influences, so let’s give it a listen.

The Recording

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Sheet Music

Piano Sonata no. 11 in A “Alla Turca” K. 331

1. Andante grazioso

  • Nice to hear a solo piano.
  • Theme and variations as first movement. The theme is simple and pleasant.
  • Variation 1 is more active. Little rhythm tricks.
  • Var. 2 full of triplet arpeggios. Also some funny ornaments in the left hand.
  • Dreamy and exotic sounding variation 3. Unusual for Mozart.
  • Gentle variations 4, 5 and 6. Almost lullaby-like.
  • Things pick up with variation 7. More playful and then virtuosity to the end.

2. Menuetto

  • Lots of variety in this. Interesting hearing the differences between an orchestra minuet and a piano minuet written by the same composer. This feels like there’s a lot more going on than the typical Mozart minuet.
  • The trio flows.
  • Interjections with the piano playing parallel octaves in forte.

3. Alla Turca – Allegretto

  • Ooooooooooh yea. This movement.
  • Yet another totally famous Mozart melody.
  • Parallel octaves in right hand while left hand strums a chord like a guitar.
  • A lot of Alberti bass still though.
  • Cadences at end remind me of Entführung aus dem Serail, but I can’t recall the exact music.

Takeaways

Well, I feel silly for not realizing that this was that piece of music. Seriously, listen to the third movement if you don’t know it and maybe you’ll feel silly too. It’s another example of one of Mozart’s melodies becoming a pervasive musical thread in the background fabric of our lives. I’m starting to feel like there’s simply not another composer who occupies a similar slot in terms of the quantity of melodies that occupy this space. Maybe John Lennon and Paul McCarney. Maybe.

Unlike the piece yesterday, I feel like more of the “Turkish” ideas in the third movement were prepared in the earlier movements. The parallel octaves, for example, playing in the earlier two movements sets up the big triumphant melody in the third movement. There were moments in the first two movements that were more vague than that, but nevertheless seemed to prepare my ears for what would come later. Without doing a full analysis, I couldn’t say exactly why.

This one’s a winner though. Until next time.

Mozart Month: Day 26 with his Fifth Violin Concerto

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Onwards to Mozart’s final violin concerto!

The Recording

Same as yesterday. I’m listening to Nikolaus Harnoncourt lead the Vienna Philharmonic with Gidon Kremer on solo violin.

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Sheet Music

Violin Concerto 5 in A Major, K. 219

Allegro aperto – Adagio – Allegro aperto

  • Opens with crescendos built over a string tremolo.
  • Soloist enters at tempo change to adagio.
  • Active gentle accompaniment in violins.
  • Energetic return to first tempo.
  • More use of triple stops. Also in orchestra too maybe.
  • Like previous concertos, the woodwinds and brass have lesser roles here than strings. Mostly just doubling lines or playing sustained chords.

2. Adagio

  • Gentle but playful. Sometimes reminds me of Rossini.
  • Some surprising harmonies. Usually brief though. Dissonances occur often due to the slow tempo and written ornaments in the soloist’s line.
  • Actually, lots of little dissonances. Funny.

3. Rondeau – Tempo di minuetto -Allegro

  • Throughout the concerto, Mozart has written these fabulous 16th note accompaniments for the orchestral violins that churn and move in the background. Here they have moments where they seethe in imitation to what the solo violin plays. It’s a cool effect.
  • Very different feeling at the Allegro. Whoa.
  • I suppose this is why this is nick-named the “Turkish”.
  • Lots of string effects.
  • The whole section is great. It’s fun hearing Mozart sound totally different.
  • Little changes in the repeat near the end to make it more exciting.
  • Again, another concerto with a fade-out effect. No big booming chords here.

Takeaways

Well obviously the stand out moment is the allegro within the third movement. That sounds noting like most Mozart, and as I wrote above, it’s exciting getting to hear something wildly different from him.

For the concerti as a group, they were generally equally balanced in terms of quality. The woodwinds and horns got few moments to really stand out. However, the string composition for the soloist and the orchestra was very fascinating. Following along in the sheet music is valuable just to get a better sense of all the activity taking place. Sure, there were moments where the orchestra strings served purely as simple accompanists, but more often were very integrated moments where the soloist felt truly like part of a larger group rather than an artificially separate entity. It all works together very well.

It’s too bad Mozart didn’t compose more of these.

Until next time.

Mozart Month: Day 25 with his Fourth Violin Concerto

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Let’s continue onwards with the Mozart’s fourth violin concerto. Yesterday had some surprising moments in the second and thirds movements especially, so I don’t know what to expect with today’s.

The Recording

Same as yesterday. I’m listening to Nikolaus Harnoncourt lead the Vienna Philharmonic with Gidon Kremer on solo violin.

Apple Music

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Sheet Music

Violin Concerto no. 4 in D, K. 218

1. Allegro

  • Stately arpeggio opening.
  • Lots of rhythmic variety in orchestra exposition.
  • Lots of dissonances on the beat that resolve on the second note.
  • Very active solo.
  • Strings get a lot of variety. Horns and woodwinds less so.
  • Lots of showing off.
  • Some nice imitative entrances between all instruments.
  • Again: thrilling cadenza from Mr. Kremer.

2. Andante cantabile

  • Very sentimental. Pretty melodies. Emotional dynamic swells. Active orchestra. Pathetique in a sense.

3. Rondeau (Andante grazioso – Allegro ma non troppo)

  • Andante grazioso goes by very quickly.
  • Light melodies and rhythms. Very charming.
  • Ah, and back to the Andante grazioso. So he’s using the rhythmic changes as part of the rondeau structure.
  • Exciting buildup to the modulation to minor, as brief as it lasts.
  • Ha. Some funny effects from the soloist during the third time in Andante grazioso.
  • These performers are exaggerating some funny aspects of this piece. I’m not sure if some of their choices are common practice for this.
  • It is a humorously assembled movement…
  • Oh yea, the ending sounds like it’s going to be a blow out, and then it fades into nothingness. This is what Mozart was going for.

Takeaways

Again, this is a solid concerto with some surprised, and there’s a lot of that characteristic Mozart humor. I’ve spent the day working on my taxes, so I’m very grateful for it. The first movement is solid, though it feels like a bit of a warmup. The second is very emotional, though it’s not especially heavy. The third uses instrument effects and structural choices to give it an air of levity and occasional outright humor.

Until next time.

Mozart Month: Day 24 with his Third Violin Concerto

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The last four of Mozart’s five violin concerti were written in 1775, so I’m now wondering what stylistic differences they’ll have at all. Or at least, what kind of growth and development of Mozart as a composer do we see in half a year’s time? The first two were already mature works, so let’s see what number three is like.

The Recording

Same as yesterday. I’m listening to Nikolaus Harnoncourt lead the Vienna Philharmonic with Gidon Kremer on solo violin.

Apple Music

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Sheet Music

Violin Concerto no. 3 in G, K. 216

1. Allegro

  • Same orchestra forces as the second concerto.
  • Again, nice dialogue between soloist and orchestra.
  • Accompaniment styles are varied and interesting.
  • Development has some good call and response-type moments.
  • As ever, pleasant woodwind interjections.
  • Some very nice melodies for the soloist. Almost operatic near end of development.
  • Terrific cadenza from Mr. Kremer.

2. Adagio

  • Strings using mutes.
  • Bass voices using pizzicato.
  • Beautiful melody and overall atmosphere.
  • Three against two rhythm provides some tension.
  • Yup. Whole movement is exquisite.

3. Rondeau – Andante – Allegretto

  • Virtuosity balanced by that Mozart refinement. But it’s often very exciting.
  • Some sections sound very eastern European.
  • Tempo changes have very different music, and they’re pretty short so they’re a burst of contrast. The Andante features pizzicato in the orchestral strings and a very different mood.
  • One measure where the soloist plucks an open string while bowing other notes.
  • Piece sort of fades out. Mozart had used a transition effect several times before where the horns and winds play alone and very quietly right before a new section.
  • Lots of modulations.

Takeaways

This is another enjoyable piece. I found the second and third movements to be the real prizes here, though the Allegro first movement is perfectly good as well. The third is especially daring and creative.

Until next time.

Mozart Month: Day 23 with his Second Violin Concerto

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Let’s stick with his violin concerti. I’m very curious how his five of them developed over time.

The Recording

Same as yesterday. I’m listening to Nikolaus Harnoncourt lead the Vienna Philharmonic with Gidon Kremer on solo violin.

Apple Music

Spotify

Sheet Music

Violin Concerto no. 2 in D Major, K. 211

1. Allegro moderato

  • Light orchestra. Oboe and horns only in addition to strings.
  • Bouncy ebullient music.
  • Lots of real back and forth between string orchestra and soloist.
  • Very pleasant movement. Almost pastoral though not overtly so.

2. Andante

  • Light.
  • With dramatic swells. Lots of feeling in this.
  • Some really delicate moments.
  • Long stretches without lower voiced instruments. It all hovers in the air.

3. Allegro

  • Dance-like feeling.
  • Delicate and refined virtuosity from soloist.
  • Though surprisingly mild for the final movement.

Takeaways

This is a perfectly pleasant and enjoyable piece of music, but I didn’t perceive anything that was radically surprising about it. The whole piece felt very refined, mild even, though there were sections during the second movement that were very affecting.

If there was anything that caught my ear compositionally, it was the careful combined efforts of the orchestra string sections and the soloist. There were some very good effects – most notably in the first and second movements – that would have been impossible without that collaboration. I enjoyed that part of the piece very much.

Until next time!