II. The work as a whole
One of the most striking features of this work is the
absence of a minuet, a fact which has led some to call it the “Symphony #38 in
D [without Minuet]”. The title appears this way in many German editions, but
most English and American versions refer to it as the “Prague”
symphony. Various reasons have been given for the omission, including the
rather fanciful assertion that the residents of were not as fond of
dancing as the Viennese were. However, because the very first evening Mozart
arrived in Prague he went to a ball with people dancing to his music,
this reason can be dismissed[11].
Landon[12]
states that not having a minuet “must mean something, for it is the only one of
the last six [symphonies] to do so,” but he doesn’t offer a reason. Taken as a
whole, though, K. 504 is not any shorter in length than his other symphonies,
the balance is not harmed by the lack of a minuet.
Another noticeable feature of this symphony is
the highly virtuosic writing for the wind instruments. This is a fact that
many musicologists point to when saying that the work was composed for Prague,
whose orchestras boasted particularly fine wind players[13].
Throughout the work, and especially in the last movement, important lines and
sometimes whole passages are played by the wind section (for example, mvmt. III,
m.31-46).
The rich contrapuntal writing also bears note. Not until the final movement of his 41rst symphony
does Mozart surpass the “contrapuntal virtuosity”[14]
that he exhibits in the development of the first movement of K. 504. Landon[15]
calls the whole first movement “one of Mozart’s supreme contrapuntal
achievements.” Downes[16]
states that despite “a half dozen contrasting themes, it never becomes
confused.” This style of composition is continued in the ensuing movements
(ex. mvmt. III 184-203).
