#jupiter symphony

Mozart - Symphony no.41 in C Major, “Jupiter”

The nickname “Jupiter” doesn’t mean Mozart was trying to write a program symphony about him or any of the Roman gods and goddesses, rather it was given by a publisher to highlight the “grand”, “majestic” nature of the work. Or, subconsciously, calling out this symphony as the apex of classical era writing. The opening is a sunny, carpe diem charge, and unlike the equally famous 40th, this work isn’t full of an anxious rush to move forward, it goes on with grace and energy that sucks us into the momentum. As if to entertain his audiences at the time, Mozart ends the movement by quoting one of his insertion arias [”Un bacio di mano”] right before a series of concluding fanfares and orchestral brilliance. The second movement brings us into “heavenly” Mozart, the type where high notes linger in the air and make us feel as if we are gliding along with clouds. Interesting enough, this movement is in sonata form, and some musicologists argue that its possible Mozart is calling back to Baroque sarabandes. But even in this “heavenly” state there are interruptions of harmonic modulations that give this slow movement a more serious and dramatic air, even if the drama is subdued. The minuet is more lively, even at a moderate pace, and the bouncy rhythm carries us through chromatic descents in the winds. But the highlight of the symphony, the part that blows everyone away, is the finale. In the classical symphony, the first movement was supposed to be the “heaviest”, the most complex, and the rest would be something lighter and “easier”. The final movement of the Jupiter is a FIVE voiced fugue, like a drug rush the orchestra blares through the most triumphant music Mozart ever wrote. Even if it’s too Romantic of me, I can imagine the King of Gods, gloriously naked and toned, admired by all other members of the pantheon. One YouTube comment called this symphony “40 minutes in heaven” and...being my favorite Mozart symphony, I have to agree.

Movements:

1. Allegro vivace

2. Andante cantabile

3. Menuetto: allegretto 

Michael Haydn, Symphony No. 39 in C major (1788)

A look at a prodigy who WASN’T poisoned by Salieri.

Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 “Jupiter”: II. Andante cantabile