When did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart complete Symphony No. 38?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed the Symphony No. 38 on the 6th of December 1786. He recorded this date in his autograph thematic catalogue alongside other works from that winter.
Questions about Symphony No. 38 (Mozart)
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Where and when was the Prague Symphony first performed?
The symphony premiered in Prague on the 19th of January 1787 during Mozart's first visit to the city. This performance established its common name as the Prague Symphony.
What instruments are required for the score of Symphony No. 38 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
The score calls for two flutes, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani and strings. Wind players in Bohemia were famous throughout Europe for their skillful deployment of these instruments.
Why does the third movement of Symphony No. 38 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart exist?
Musicologist Alan Tyson found that Mozart intended to perform the Paris Symphony in Prague but needed to replace its missing finale. A new finale written in D major eventually became the third movement before he decided to write an entirely new work instead.
How many movements does the Prague Symphony by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart contain compared to standard Viennese symphonies?
Standard Viennese symphonies of the late 1780s included four movements while the Prague Symphony contains only three movements without any minuet section. The first movement begins with a slow introduction longer than any previously written for a major symphony up to that time.