Amsterdam-based Concertgebouw Kamerorkest (Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra) performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major), K. 525, a composition for a chamber ensemble. Recorded on April 14, 2013, at Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik – Concertgebouw Kamerorkest – Live Concert – HD

Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13)

The work was composed in 1787. The German title of the work, “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” actually means “a little serenade,” though it is often rendered more literally but less accurately as “a little night music.” The work is written for an ensemble of two violins, viola, and cello with optional double bass, but is often performed by string orchestras.

Although it originally denoted an evening song for courtship, the term serenade by the late 18th century was used broadly to describe a chamber work intended for light entertainment on a social occasion. Serenades enjoyed great popularity in south-central Europe, particularly in Vienna, where Mozart spent the last decade of his life. At that time, it was customary for ensembles to perform serenades in Vienna’s parks and gardens, and the creation of such pieces became a lucrative source of income for composers.

Mozart produced many serenades, and the 13th is his best known. The work has four movements:

  1. Allegro This first movement is in sonata-allegro form. It opens with an ascending Mannheim rocket theme. The second theme is more graceful and in D major, the dominant key of G major. The exposition closes in D major and is repeated. The development section begins on D major and touches on D minor and C major before the work returns to G major for the recapitulation.
  2. Romanze: Andante The second movement, in C major, is a “Romanze”, with the tempo marked Andante. A feeling of intimacy and tenderness remains throughout this movement. It is in rondo form, taking the shape A–B–A–C–A plus a final coda. The keys of the sections are C major for A and B, C minor for C. The middle appearance of A is truncated, consisting of only the first half of the theme. Heartz describes the movement as evoking a gavotte rhythm: each of its sections begins in the middle of the measure, with a double upbeat.
  3. Menuetto: Allegretto The third movement, marked Allegretto, is a minuet and trio, both in 3/4 time. The minuet is in the home key of G major, and the contrasting trio is in the dominant key of D major. As is normal in this form, the minuet is played again by da capo following the trio.
  4. Rondo: Allegro The fourth and last movement is in lively tempo, marked Allegro; the key is again G major. The movement is written in sonata form. Mozart specifies repeats not just for the exposition section but also for the following development and recapitulation section. The work ends with a long coda.

We also know that there were originally five movements of this work, rather than the four that now survive. Oddly enough, Mozart never published ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’ in his lifetime. It was left up to his widow, Constanze, to sell in a job lot of his music to a publisher in 1799, presumably to raise much-needed cash. It saw the public light of day only in 1827, some forty years after it was written.

Concertgebouw Kamerorkest plays Mozart Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major
Amsterdam-based Concertgebouw Kamerorkest (Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra) performs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik (Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major), K. 525, a composition for a chamber ensemble.

Sources

M. Özgür Nevres

Published by M. Özgür Nevres

I am Özgür Nevres, a software engineer, a former road racing cyclist, and also an amateur musician. I opened andantemoderato.com to share my favorite music. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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