Symphony No. 38 (Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed the Symphony No. 38 in D major on the 6th of December 1786. He entered this date into his autograph thematic catalogue alongside other works from that winter. The symphony premiered in Prague on the 19th of January 1787 during his first visit to the city. This performance established its common name as the Prague Symphony. Other compositions finished around this time include a Piano Trio in B and a Piano Concerto No. 25. A scena for soprano and orchestra also reached completion by late December 1786. The timeline shows a burst of creative activity concentrated within weeks.
Mozart enjoyed consistent popularity among Bohemians despite fluctuating fortunes with Viennese audiences. His opera Le nozze di Figaro received overwhelming success at the National Theatre in Prague during the 1786, 87 season. The press did not mention this triumph until the 11th of December 1786, five days after he finished writing the symphony. Leopold Mozart wrote a letter in January 1787 confirming an invitation from musicians and patrons. That invitation may have arrived before rehearsals began or even during the rehearsal period itself. The exact start date of the opera run remains undocumented but likely occurred in November or December 1786.
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. The Prague press attributed the success of Die Entführung aus dem Serail and Le nozze di Figaro partly to their wind sections. No earlier symphony by any composer contains so many passages where only wind ensembles play without stringed instruments. This extensive use represents a major advance in Mozart's symphonic technique. Later composers including Beethoven and Schubert adopted similar approaches. Haydn also influenced Mozart through his London symphonies which shared this expanded palette.
Musicologist Alan Tyson analyzed paper types used in Mozart autographs to determine composition sequence. He found that the third movement was actually composed first using paper matching Le Nozze di Figaro from early 1786. The first two movements appeared on paper types associated with late December works. Tyson noted a copy of a trumpet part for an earlier D-major symphony called the Paris Symphony existed on the same late-December paper type. He conjectured 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 of the Prague Symphony before he decided to write an entirely new work instead.
Standard Viennese symphonies of the late 1780s included four movements: fast, slow, minuet, and fast. The Prague Symphony contains only three movements without any minuet section. Daniel E. Freeman suggested this format might appeal specifically to the musical public of Prague. Josef Mysliveček was the only symphonist from Prague Mozart knew well between 1770 and 1778. Almost all of Mysliveček's symphonies follow the Italian three-movement pattern favored during his adult life. The first movement begins with a slow introduction longer than any previously written for a major symphony up to that time. This extended opening may compensate for the missing middle movement to align with customary total duration.
Common questions
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.
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.