mozart last symphonies
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Mozart and His Last Three Symphonies. A Myth Laid to Rest?Author(s): Andrew SteptoeSource: The Musical Times, Vol. 132, No. 1785 (Nov., 1991), pp. 550-551Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/966205.
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Mozart nd his
ast three
symphonies
- a
myth
aid
to
rest?
Andrew
teptoe
Did Mozart ever hear his last three
symphonies
in
performance?
One of the more
interesting hanges
in
perceptions
of Mozart and his activities o have taken
place
over recent
years
concerns these
works.
The
symphonies
were
apparently
composed
over a short
period
of
unparalleled
creative
nergy
n the
summer f
1788. The
E
b
symphony
(K543)
was entered into
Mozart's
Verzeichnass
ller meinerWerke n
26
June,
followed
by
the G
minor
K550)
on
25
July
nd
the
C
major (K551)
on 10
August.
Over the same
period,Mozart also
completed
two
piano
trios,
a
keyboard
sonata,
and several
other
minor
works.
The
prevailing
view for
many
decades has been that
Mozart
never heard the last three
symphonies.
t has
been
thought
that
they
were
writtenfor
a series
of
subscription
concerts
planned
for the
summer
or
autumn of 1788 n
Vienna.
The
only
nformationbout
these concerts
comes from letter Mozart
wrote to
Michael
Puchberg
n
which he
requested
a loan:'
'I
dare to
implore
ou
to
help
me out with
hundred
gulden
ntilnext
week,
when
my
oncertsnthe
Casino
are
o
begin. y
hat ime
shall
ertainly
ave eceived
my
subscription oney
nd
shall
hen
e able
quite asily
o
pay you
back
136
gulden
with
my
warmest
hanks. take
the ibertyf ending ou wo ickets hich,s a brother,
beg you
to
accept
without
ayment
..'
Unfortunately,
he
original
of this etter s
lost.
It is
generally ssigned
to
June
788,
nd
the
subscription
s
takento refer o the
three
tring uintets
K406,
515 and
516)
that Mozart tried
unsuccessfully
o
publish
at
4
ducats a
copy.2
The concerts are
conventionally
believed not to have materialized.3
VolkmarBraunbehrens
was
one of the
first
eriously
to
question
thisview in his book Mozart n
Wien.4
e
argued
thatthe etter
may
have been written
ater han
June,
erhaps
nthe
early
utumn when concerts
might
have been more
feasible,
and
that the
subscription
money relates to the concerts ratherthan the string
quintet publication.
The fact that Mozart
was able to
present
Puchberg
with
tickets
suggests
that the
arrangements
were far
dvanced. The
theme was
pur-
sued
by
Robbins
Landon in 1791:
Mozart's ast
Year.5s
e
suggested
not
only
that he ast three
ymphonies
were
performed
t
these
subscription
oncerts,
ut thatK550
was
played
at
the
Tonkiinstler-Societditoncerts con-
ducted
by
Salieri on 16
and
17
April
1791
a
possibility
already recognized
by
Deutsch).6
Zaslow discusses the
matter
extensively
n his
monumental book on the
symphonies,
dding
possible
performances
f
he
sym-
phonies
in
Leipzig
(1789)
and Frankfurt
1790)
during
Mozart's tours
to
these cities.7His
conclusion reflects
the
new climate f
opinion
concerning
hese
works:
We
may ayto rest hemyth hat he ast three ymphonies
remained
unperformed uring
his
[Mozart's]
ifetime'.8
A
striking
spect
of this
argument
s that t has
not
resultedfrom he
discovery
ofnew
facts,
r the
appear-
ance of substantial
documentary
vidence
concerning
performances
f the
symphonies.
Rather,
t
appears
primarily
to be a reaction
against
the
romantic
perspective
on
Mozart,
and 'art for
art's sake'.
The
romantic
gloss
was
embodied
by
Alfred insteinwhen
he linked these
symphonies
with
the notion
that
Mozart was an
irrepressible enius
divorced fromhis
own time. He stated that the lack of
performances
was:9
'perhaps ymbolic
f heir
osition
n the
history
f
music
and of human
ndeavour,
epresenting
o
occasion,
o
immediate
urpose,
ut n
appeal
to
eternity'.
Modern
commentators
continuallyemphasize
the
practical
natureof Mozart's work.As Robbins Landon
puts
it:
The
fact
cannot
be overstated: Mozart was
a
supreme pragmatist
and finishedworks
exclusively
with a
specific
performance
n
view'.10
his
has
led
to
the
situation that doubt about the
performance
f the
last three
symphonies
s
tantamount
o
acceptance
of
the
romantic
perspective.
Braunbehrens,
or
xample,
says: 1
'Why
id
he
write
he ast hree
ymphonies
to
file
way
in
a drawer
erhaps?
hat
wouldbe
a
first,
ince
Mozart
never
wrote
urely
or
is
wn
njoyment;
t s wellknown
that
he
composed
exclusively
n commission r for
specific
ccasion'.
while
Zaslow
argues
that:12
'The
very
dea
that
Mozartwouldhave
written
hree
uch
works,
unprecedented
n
length
nd
complexity,nly
o
please
himself
r
because
he
was
nspired,
lies
n
he ace f
his known ttitudes
o
music nd
life,
nd the
financial
straits
n
which e then ound imself'.
However, this association between a romantic
perspective
and lack of
performances
s flawed. It is
perfectly lausible
to
suggest
that Mozart wrote
the
symphonies
with
subscription
eries n
mind,
but that
the concertsnever took
place.
The
fact
hat one or two
of the
symphonies may
have been
played
in
Leipzig,
Frankfurt,
r
three
years
later
n
Vienna
is
irrelevant,
since these ater
performances
were
opportunistic.
he
'practical'
Mozart
would,
not have
composed sym-
phonies against
the
chance
that a concertvenue
might
present
tself ver the
next
two or three
years.
More-
over,
even
the most
generous
interpretation
f the
presently
vailable evidence makes
it
hard to conclude
that all three
symphonies
were
performed
n
Mozart's
presence
after
788.
The
strongest
ase can be made for
K550beingplayedat the Tonkiinstler-Societtitoncerts
550
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in Vienna
n 1791. t has
been
suggested
thatK551
might
have been
included in the concert
that Mozart held in
Frankfurtn
October
1790,
since the
programme
was
planned
tostart nd finishwith
symphony.
However,
the one
contemporary
ccount of the event
by
Count
Ludwig
von Benthein-Steinfurttates
that the first
symphony
was
one
which he had
'long possessed'
(so
was not
new),
while
the
final
symphony
was not
performed ecause the concerthad longoverrun.13t s
conceivable
that the
final
ymphony
was
heard a few
days
later
in
Mainz,
but
documentary
evidence is
lacking.14
t
can also be
argued
that
K551 was
included
in
the
concertthat Mozart mounted
in
Leipzig
in
May
1789,
but
surviving eports
of this
event are inconclu-
sive.15
Furthermore,
his still
leaves K543 without
a
hearing.
The assertion that Mozart
heard
all
three
works therefore
ests
primarily
n
the existence of the
1788 concert
eries.
Since so
many
modern authorities
have
written
n
favour
f
hese
concerts,
t
may
be
worth
ehearsing
he
arguments against
their occurrence.
Firstly,
he
only
evidence about the concerts omes
from
Mozart's
etter.
No notices in
contemporary
eriodicals,
old tickets r
descriptionsbymembers of the audience or orchestra
have
yet
been unearthed. The
existence
of
the
sym-
phonies
themselves is
not
significant,
ince
Mozart
might
have
completed
these
works before
his
plan
for
the concertswas abandoned. It
might
be
argued
that
f
the
concerts were
cancelled,
t is
unlikely
hat Mozart
would
have
finished
ll
three
ymphonies, nowing
his
tendency
o
complete
works
only
t the ast minute.But
this
brings
us to one of the
most
telling
arguments
against
he
concerts
having
taken
place.
Paper typing
studies
by
Alan
Tyson
indicate
that
the first two
movements of the last
piano
concerto
K595)
together
with the
first
even leaves of the
finale
were
written n
paper
that Mozart
only
used between
December
1787
and February1789.16 he concerto was not however
completed
and entered nto
the
Verzeichnfiss
ntil
Janu-
ary
1791. t s
highly mprobable
that
Mozart
planned
a
series
of
concerts n the
scale
thatwould
accommodate
symphonies
without
presenting
new
piano
concerti.
He
might
have
intended to use
his
last concerto K537
(completed
in
February
1788)
since
this
had not
yet
been
played,
but he
would
certainly
have
required
other works. It is also
probable
that he would have
composed
symphonies
before
oncerti,
ince he could
rely
on his own skills t the
keyboard
to
get through
concerto even
if
the
ink
was
still
wet. The
strong
implication
s
that Mozart intended
K595
for
his 1788
concert
series,
but thathe
put
the work aside when
plans
for he series were called off.
How
probable
is it that an orchestral oncert
series
would have taken
place
in
the summer or autumn of
1788? The limited
urviving
ecordshave been collated
by Mary
Sue
Morrow.7
She has found
evidence
for
consistent concert
activity every
winter and
spring
over this
era
in
Vienna,
but
very
ittle ver the summer
or
autumn,
when the
nobility
tended to be at their
country
esidences. n
1787,
or
xample,
nformation
s
extant
oncerning
series
of
early morning
oncerts n
the Belvedere
gardens
over
the
summer,
followed
by
two
benefit
oncerts
n
September
and October.
But
then no furthervents are recordeduntil he traditional
Christmas
Tonkiinstler-Societ~it
oncerts on 22 and 23
December. In
1788,
no concerts between
April
and
December are knownof, xcepttheperformancefAcis
etGalathea ith Mozart's orchestrationn November. n
1789 and
1790,
no recordsof
ny
concerts etween
April
and December have been
discovered.
The successful
promotion
f
ubscription
oncerts n
the summer or autumn of
1788 seems
particularly
unlikely
n view of
the
political
situation
at
the time.
War
against
the Turks was declared
early
n the
year.
Many
of
the
nobility
who
might
have
patronised
concertswere at thefront,s social and cultural ife n
Vienna was
curtailed.The Kdirntnerthor
heater
was
closed,
and in
July
oseph
I
decided to
withdraw
public
subsidy
from he Italian
Opera.
Vienna was strained
economically,
with increases
in
the
price
of bread
leading
to
riots nd the
ooting
f
bakeries
n
July.18
7%
war tax was
imposed
at
the
end
of the
year,
s
the
first
campaign
ended
in
disorganization
nd
failure.
Other
arguments
gainst
this
concert
eries
can also
be made. We
know
for
xample
that
year
ater
in
July
1789),
Mozart
again
tried o mount a concert
eries,
but
that he
failed
to secure
any
subscribers
except
for
Gottfriedvan
Swieten.
A
charming
description
of
Mozart's
family
life written
by
the
visiting
Dane
Joachim
aniel Preisler ates from ate
August
178819.
t
is clear that Preisler poke to Mozart about his plans
and musical
activities,
yet
no
mention s
made of
any
concerts. It is also
possible
that the last three
sym-
phonies
were not written for
Vienna at
all,
but
for
publication
or in
preparation
for a
projected
visit to
England.20
t
present
therefore,
he evidence seems
to
me to
weigh against
the
1788
subscription
eries. New
facts
may emerge,
with
the
discovery
of fresh ontem-
porary
records of
concerts
n
Vienna or
elsewhere,
or
the location of the
original
undated letter o
Puchberg.
There
may,
for
xample,
have been concerts
nvolving
Mozart
early
n
1791,
during
the visit of the
King
and
Queen
of
Naples
to
Vienna. It
is
however
surely
premature
o
dismiss as a fanciful
myth
he notion
that
not all the astsymphonieswereperformed yMozart.
Of
course
it
s
romantic
o
argue
that
Mozart
wrote
the
symphonies
out of nner
compulsion
with no
venue
in
mind. But
s it
not
equally
sentimental o
believe,
on the
basis of the
slim evidence
presently
vailable,
that
he
must have
heard these works?
References
'FromTheLetters
f
Mozart
ndhis
Family,
dited
by
E.
Anderson.
Third dition evised
by
S. Sadie
and F. Smart
London,1985).
The etter s isted
s
number1076
n
Mozart:
Briefe ndAufzeichnungen,
dited
by
W. A.
Bauer,
O. E. Deutsch
and
J.
H. Eibl
Kassel,
1962-1975).
y
the
Casino',
Mozart was
probablyreferring
o the
Trattnerhof,
ince
Mary
Sue Morrow
personal
communication)
has discovered evidence that
various
concerts
nd
other vents
were
held
in a
section of hismassive
building
known
as
the Casino.
2See Eibl's
commentary
o etter
076,
p
cit,
p.367-369.
3See,for xample,0. E. Deutsch: Mozart: Documentaryiography,rans E. Blom,P.
Branscombe,
nd
J.
Noble
(London, 1966),
320.
4First
ublished
inGerman n
1986,
nd translated
nto
English
s
Mozart n Vienna
1781-1791
London,
1990).
1791:
Mozart's astYear
London, 1988),
1-33.
6Deutsch,
p
cit,
20.
7See N. Zaslow:
Mozart's
ymphonies:
ontext,
erformance
ractice,
eception
Oxford,
1989),
421-431.
8Zaslow,
op
cit,
31.
9Mozart:
is
Life,
is
Character,
is
Work
London, 1947),
245.
lORobbins
andon,
op
cit,
3.
Braunbehrens,
p
cit,
24.
12Zaslow,
p
cit,
31.
13Deutsch,
p
cit,
75-376.
14Adam ottron:Mozart
nd
Mainz
Mainz,
1951)
48.
15Zaslow,
p
cit,
23-427.
16Alan
yson:
Mozart: tudies
f
he
Autograph
cores
Cambridge,
1987),
156.
17Mary
ue
Morrow: Concert
ife
n
Haydn's
Vienna
Stuyvesant,
989).
18See .
Wangermann:
rom
oseph
I to
he
acobin
rials
London,
1959),
0.
g9Deutsch,
p
cit,
23-325.
20See S. Sadie: Mozart
Symphonies
London,
1986),
80. Mozart
may
have been
encouraged by
the
recent
publication
of
Haydn's
'Paris'
symphonies
by
the
ViennesepublisherArtaria o attempt comparableserieshimself.
551
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