Magnificent Counterpoint in Mozart's Prague Symphony (Mvt. 1)

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Richard Atkinson analyzes the magnificent counterpoint in the opening movement of Mozart's Prague Symphony, no. 38 in D major, K. 504, culminating in the development section, during which many of the previously introduced themes are combined at once in invertible counterpoint. This is a fair use educational commentary that uses excerpts from the following recordings/performances:
Mozart: Symphony, no. 38 in D major, K. 504, “Prague”
• Mozart - Symphony No. ...
Mozart: Overtures to The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni
Sir Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
Haydn: Symphony No. 80 in D minor
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Haydn Symphony No. 81
Australian Chamber Orchestra, Sir Charles Mackerras
Beethoven: Sonata for Pianoforte, Op. 31 No. 2 in D minor, “Tempest”
Evgeny Kissin, Pianoforte
Mozart: Serenade in D major, K. 320, "Posthorn"
Sir Charles Mackerras, Prague Chamber Orchestra
Mozart: "Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa-Papagena!" Duet from The Magic Flute • Mozart - Magic Flute (...
Mozart: Canon, “O du eselhafter Martin!” KV 560
Nicol Matt, Chamber Choir of Europe
00:00 - Exposition section
15:04 - Development section
22:31 - Recapitulation section

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Опубликовано:

10 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 136

@applin121 2 года назад

This was the greatest symphony yet written. Mozart’s development as a symphonist was truly spectacular

@johnchessant3012 2 года назад

Callbacks to 4 previous videos! the Marvel movies must be envying this interconnectedness :D

@David-il9xw 2 года назад

“It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God.” As always, Atkinson is the consummate educator in our quest for the divine.

@polyphoniac 2 года назад

He's had a lot of practice getting to the bottom of things. How many here know that he is assistant medical examiner for the state of Massachusetts?

@David-il9xw 2 года назад

@@polyphoniac I did not.

@bolanddewsnap5698 2 года назад

It’s an Amadeus reference..

@matthiasl.6551 2 года назад

I was listening to this symphony last week, thinking "for sure, Richard Atkinson must have done a video on it, the 1st mvt is literally nothing but counterpoint!" And lo and behold...

@neilwalsh3977 2 года назад

Thomas Goss points out how Mozart often loves flute/bassoon octave doublings

@giobrach 2 года назад

That spicy deceptive cadence at 17:14...

@alexshih3747 2 года назад

This is slightly unrelated to the video but I feel like the Mozart-Haydn relationship is like a friendship between the two class clowns (in a good way). Mozart's humor is "funny because weird" and Haydn's humor is "funny because witty". And when they borrow from each other it's like they're setting up each other's jokes. I particularly like how eccentric Mozart is.

@ianl707 Год назад

It is little wonder that Sir Thomas Beecham, (the conductor who basically put Mozart back on the map), regarded this as Mozart's greatest symphony. Thanks for the uplifting analysis! 🙂

@threethrushes 2 года назад

Woke up in Prague. Sun is shining. Listening to another music theory video. Day gon be lit af boy.

@johnchessant3012 2 года назад

23:17 This oboe and flute part is gorgeous! (Also, the high number of colors never disappoints)

@user-ms3hz3ml6g 2 года назад

I love how this video was uploaded exactly 5 years after the Jupiter symphony video

@amse9297 2 года назад

Richard, please do the first movement of Mozart's String Quintet K.515. As you surely know, there's some interesting counterpoint in the stunningly beautiful development section of that movement, but the abundance of themes and the length of that movement are remarkable. You'd probably run out of colors highlighting the themes. :D

@Andres-mk4wr 2 года назад

I'd love you analyzing The magic flute overture 🥰🥰🥰

@mohamedhosamanwar8330 2 года назад

I don't think this overture has a lot to analyze but you know, It's always fun to hear Richard's analysis.

@mozessiwang7751 2 года назад

I just can’t describe how excited I am . Prague symphony is the one that leads me to the music theory and lets me to understand the complexity of the musical structure. In my point of view . Prague symphony has the qualification that compared with the last three symphonies of Mozart.

@beachcomber4141 2 года назад

I have next to no knowledge of music theory, but I have thought for years this is one of Mozart's heaviest most powerful musical inventions. It just really 'howls' at points. There was something very heavy on Mozart's mind that he expressed on this piece. I had an intuition that this music has something to do with his Father. (It was written just months before his fathers death) I cannot say exactly why I feel that, but there was something in it that made me think of my own father. It expresses some harrowing battle in the soul, but ends up being such an ode to perseverance. I could listen to this counterpoint development on repeat for hours and get chills every time. Thank you for posting this. It is fascinating to see the written notes be broken down by the different themes and how it transforms into such 'magnificent' music expressing the light after the dark. I really admire your video's helping break down such fantastic music!

@einarkristjansson6812 2 года назад

Dear Mr. Atkinson. I listen but are uneducated in music. You open it all for me although I don't read notes. I knew this work but did not realize how magnificent it is. Thank you.

@polyphoniac 2 года назад

After Beethoven wrote his late B-flat string quartet (Op. 130) he expressed great satisfaction with the advances he had just made in his compositional technique. No one to my knowledge has ever commented on what seems patently obvious to me: that the first movement of that work reflects deep study of this particular movement by Mozart.

@kmk8284 2 года назад

I love this symphony for some other reason than most. The rhythmic feel of the first movement reminds me of ethnic dances from my province. It judt reminds me of home so much.

@antoineduchamp4931 2 года назад

What an incredible master-class you have just given me. I am amazed. If only Herr Mozart were here he would be delighted that you portrayed in the inner workings of his genius to such a wide audience... I have listened to the Prague for 50 years, and only now do I realise how little I know of its structure. Thank you very much.

@gabriellopezperez7363 2 года назад

Great video! By the way, i hope you talk one day about the overture of the magic flute, the use of trombones, the counterpoint, the sounds, the big orchestra, theres so much to talk about his best overture!

@JacobCollins123 2 года назад

Amazing analysis of an incredible piece of music. I’m always excited when you upload, especially when it pertains to Mozart. Thank you!

@benana_3 2 года назад

This might be too much to request, but could you make a video on Mahler’s 8th Symphony? It’s filled with a whole bunch of cool structural details (counterpoint, thematic transformation, etc.) and I’m absolutely sure you’d do this piece justice.

@wolfgangmichalke3743 2 года назад

As a lover of classical music I already listened to so many of your exhilarating und unbelievably meticulous and thoughful discussions of classical music so that I can truthfully say that I have learned more about classical music and counterpoint from your channel than from most books I have ever read! This time it struck me like a lightning: I have been listing to the Prague Symphony for more than 20 years but never understood why the ending of the exposition is excellent music but the recapitulation really took me into another sphere. Now I learn from your analysis about two alterations, the variant in the high violins explained at 24:11 and the pink countertheme in the low voice explained at 24:30 - and exactly these two altered voices always gave me this extra kick when I heared the recapitulation! My "litte mystery" finally solved after 20 years! Thank you again for the most valuable channel on RU-vid!

@qtaroj 2 года назад

I already watched this twice, what a joy. Prague symphony was always one of those works I couldn't quite follow, turns out it was just way too complicated and I needed some guidance! Thank you so much (fan from Taiwan)

@WoutDC 2 года назад

What a whirlwind of a piece! Thanks for this brilliant video :) People say Haydn is underperformed (wich I agree with), but you could say the same for Mozart, especially concerning his symphonies, only the last 3 and especially nos. 40 and 41 get performed often.

@caterscarrots3407 2 года назад

I wouldn't really say that. Symphony no. 39 is not that well known, although it should be, it matches Beethoven's Eroica in intensity. By contrast, this symphony and his earlier D major symphony, the Paris Symphony are much more well known than Symphony no. 39.

@iggyreilly2463 2 года назад

Haydn's Symphony no. 75 in D-major was one of Mozart's favorites (he conducted it on several concerts) and its influence on the overture to Don Giovanni is clear, comparing the first movement of the Haydn.

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

True! He wrote a letter to his father specifically requesting to be sent his copy of the score.

@iggyreilly2463 2 года назад

@@Richard.Atkinson Would love to watch a Richard Atkinson video of Haydn inventions that were expounded/expanded upon by Mozart (op. 33 no. 3 -> K. 515; op. 64 no. 6 -> K. 614; Hob. XVI/23/ii -> K. 280/ii; too many to mention!) Thanks for the videos.

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

@@iggyreilly2463 I actually pointed out the connection between Op. 64 No. 6 and K. 614 in a prior video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2jzizAzTEDk.html (@ 36:20)

@nicholasbartulovic6221 2 года назад

The turquoise theme at the end with its inversion and its subsequent return at the recap. are like proto-Mahlerian in intensity. There are some conductors who take this mvmnt a bit slower and draw out that passage’s tension, giving more credence to that observation.

@trocomposition4216 2 года назад

A magnificent video on magnificent counterpoint! Many thanks for another Richard Atkinson classic 👍12:02 I'm really interested in your observation about the similarity to the Tempest given that a) we know Beethoven sometimes liked to use motivic fragments from other works as a starting point for improvisations/compositions b) the themes in the Tempest are all inter-related, meaning that if Beethoven was using this melodic idea consciously, it must surely have been his starting point for the whole sonata 🤯

@matthiasm4299 2 года назад

Oh hell yes, one of my favorite symphony movements! 😁 Also, since you mention Figaro in beginning... a breakdown of the act 2 finale would be a dream come true. 😉

@psimonchess 4 месяца назад

Extraordinary analysis of one of the most beautiful symphonies written by Mozart!! To me always this movement of Mozart reminds me of 1º movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, I would not know how to say why, perhaps his cadence, the use of timbales, I have no knowledge of music theory, it is just an appreciation. Congratulations on this magnificent work!!

@octavianrofrano3351 8 месяцев назад

How can we thank Mr Atkinson for his extraordinary, deep and insightful analysis of this mind-blowing Mozart symphony movement?

@mohamedhosamanwar8330 2 года назад

I was just rewatching your KV459 video for the 3rd time last night and when you mentioned you "may" make a video on the Prague symphony I said oh I can't wait, so I slept and woke up to this video. 😂

@andywe7524 2 года назад

Thank you Richard. The "Prager Sinfonie " is beautiful and your explanations are lovely. Greetings and stay healthy! - Andreas

@hakunaseitata2880 2 года назад

This was the very first symphony ive ever played as a little bassoonist helping out a student orchestra... I was so not ready. But it was an incredible experience. So thank you for the memorys!

@benyanman 2 года назад

It makes me nostalgic to review a symphony I played as a kid more than 8 years ago, so many epic details I have missed back then, and in particular the history behind this masterpiece before its premier I learnt from my conductor. It was good old days, thanks Richard!

@djbabymode 2 года назад

It's always a wonderful day when Richard Atkinson uploads!

@sas2000 Год назад

I also found the K. 560 motif similar to the Osmin's aria from the abduction the seraglio!

@doricdream498 2 года назад

WOW that pedal point in the development gave me goosebumps. How eerie!

@doricdream498 2 года назад

Also, I'm a huge fan of 25:18 - it sounds like something straight from the following century, with the screaming violins.

@korema66 2 года назад

Spectacular! I can't get enough of your analysis.

@pirschkonig4903 2 года назад

Great work, thank you very much for this detailed analysis!

@rsbolin Год назад

What wonderful explanation and exhibition.

@neilwalsh3977 2 года назад

Such an incredibly fun piece to play for strings

@ExxylcrothEagle 2 года назад

My fav Mozart symphony. I've listened to SO many versions, especially of the 1st movement. I know there are things I don't understand about it technically though, so I appreciate this commentary.

@siemonblidener652 2 года назад

Your videos never disappoint! It would make me very happy if you made a video like that about the finale of Mendelssohn's 5th symphony

@amse9297 2 года назад

You announced in a prior video that you would do this symphony. I have been waiting for months. Thank you for releasing this video!!

@tamed4171 2 года назад

I was just rewatching your video on the 41st finale, so this is very fitting

@Frank-om4fc 2 года назад

I still beleive Mozart was an alien who visited this planet...

@muhchung 2 года назад

I have been waiting for this movement for a long time. Thank you and thank you!!

@joaobutmozartsfan9658 Год назад

Mozarts k503 and k504 are beyond my own world

@Richard.Atkinson Год назад

Two of the greatest K. numbers.

@brianr.3085 Год назад

@@Richard.Atkinson 502 and 505 aren't too shabby either.

@reynaldogendrano7601 2 года назад

My most favorite Mozart symphony waaaaah!!! 💖😭

@dleov4645 2 года назад

Love this symphony! Never realised it was this contrapuntally complex until now. Great video as always!

@mortonbaychestnut4072 2 года назад

Wow! Thanks for much, again!!

@enricochestri 4 месяца назад

Fantastic as usual! I knew there was great counterpoint but had never analyzed it so deeply. When I listen to this music I am on a wonderful trip in the midst of nature travelling to other worlds. Mozart the divine

@alextinlin4347 2 года назад

I've been waiting for a video on this movement, you didn't let me down!

@ironmaz1 2 года назад

Like Mozart builds intensity in his development section, my tedious week of work was a buildup to the magnificent moment I finally had some time to watch this. My favourite moments are those heart-rending suspensions in the green theme, and the fugato style of the dark blue trills... once again thank you for sharing your vast knowledge! ^_^

@CharlesAustin 2 года назад

This is so great .. Thank you !!

@Tizohip 2 года назад

Congratulations. Another great video

@Hist_da_Musica 2 года назад

Great video, as always!

@clau1971dius 2 года назад

Thank for this video, splendid.

@engelbertschoormans 2 года назад

Maybe it's only me, but in the fanfare motif of 2:42 reminds me very much of the piano motif in the flutes and oboes of the first movement in the Jupiter Symphony ...!

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

Yes! Now I’ve got you playing my game 😅

@carlofarina 2 года назад

It also quotes Non piu andrai !! "Delle belle turbando il riposo"

@solcarzemog5232 2 года назад

Bravo, Richard!

@bornaerceg9984 2 года назад

Your analysis makes me love piece even more! Great video!

@djbabymode 2 года назад

The falling triad motifs remind me of JC Bach's Concerto in b flat, op 13 no 4

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

Another good one! I don’t think I’d heard that piece until today!

@djbabymode 2 года назад

@@Richard.Atkinson I love JC Bach's Op 13! You can tell it really inspired Mozart, as he actually uses a lot of counterpoint (the canonical secondary theme from no 1 being an example)

@djbabymode 2 года назад

@@Richard.Atkinson Another example: Jc Bach Op 3 no 6, 3rd movement

@OnlyMozart1 2 года назад

I waited for this video for years. Many many thanks for this one!

@OnlyMozart1 2 года назад

Speaking of Beethoven and the Prague Symphony, it was over 30 years ago that Roger Kamien who suggested that the slow introduction to the first movement (which is not discussed in this video) possibly served a model the slow intro of Beethoven's 2nd Symphony. Others who published essays about this masterwork are: Elaine R. Sisman, László Somfai and Susan McClary.

@bodhibhaktaleali8230 2 года назад

Thank you It’s a very pleasure watching and listening your video! You make a great job ❤️

@kiren3168 2 года назад

The amount of work, knowledge and talent that goes into making these videos is unbelievable. Thank you soooo much!!

@sg_dan 2 года назад

I've always had a fondness for syncopated themes, so naturally the Prague Symphony has been a favorite of mine (as are many of Haydn's). Thanks for yet another marvelous upload!

@MySheetMusicTranscriptions 2 года назад

Thanks a lot for this in-depth analysis, Richard!

@solracpilino1967 2 года назад

Tal vez esta es mi sinfonía favorita de todos los tiempos, gracias!!

@fredhoupt4078 2 года назад

Brilliant Mozart, enlightening analysis. I loved it.

@fredhoupt4078 2 года назад

listened to it again. My body just covered in goosebumps. Thank God for Mozart, a gift we will treasure now and for always. Loved your assessment. Helped open the eyes to the intricate web. One only wonders if Mozart's audience had the slightest idea what he had created for them? Doubt it.

@user-is2cs9uj2p 2 года назад

Mozart is always amazing. He composed songs simply but deep !! Thank you for the greatest contents!! +Please upload more your interesting compisition!! :) ( I felt your piano songs like shostakovich)

@FebruaryJulia 2 года назад

👏👏👏👏👏 Bravo!

@Ivan_1791 2 года назад

That's cute you are posting this after exactly 5 years after your video on the Jupiter symphony. I also love the Prague symphony, after the 29th I'm not sure there is one I don't quite like haha

@NidusFormicarum 2 года назад

What a joy to follow your thoughts! I don't like their playing a long beat at the end. You can delay the last beat a little bit for emphasis, but I still think it should be short.

@Georgeth-kb6rg Год назад

AMEN !

@hodmchess6133 2 года назад

Would an analysis of the final movement of Bruckner 8 be possible? We love counterpoint!

@DanielFahimi 2 года назад

NO WAY!!!

@assreductionist8575 2 года назад

Love this symphony! The transition from 23:18 all the way back to the blue theme is my favorite part. A shame you cut it out. Nevertheless a great breakdown!

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

I also love it. I regret cutting it out, since it wouldn’t really have added that much extra time to the video.

@bellinivernon 2 года назад

Que bien ... !

@cvlen 2 года назад

Gorgeous video! But... why do I hear the music in E flat major??? 😱

@studiomilo 2 года назад

Mozart outdid everyone else in every genre. I mean it's incredible that as well as genius symphonies, quartets, concertos and solo sonatas, he also wrote Operas not really matched again in musical / dramatic fusion until Wagner. Listen to his lesser contemporaries and you realize how unfunny the 'Musical Joke' actually is. Sometimes I watch these videos and it is literally to much - like you cannot sit and stare into dazzling beauty for to long in case it burns your brain.

@michaelwu7678 2 года назад

It’s always so sad to think about what more Mozart could’ve done had he lived to 50 or more

@Lexhouben 2 года назад

wow

@marklaporta_music Год назад

I often feel that, in some minor ways, this symphony is more successful than the Jupiter, because the ideas flow more effortlessly. Maybe it's a flaw in performance, but the Jupiter's great finesse sometimes seems more labored by comparison. But this is not a knock on the later symphony, just a matter of personal preference.

@OnlyMozart1 2 года назад

@Richard Atkinson I just listened to the andante movement from the serenade K. 204 (213b). Bars 25-28 shows a rather striking similarity with the slow introduction to the movement analyzed by you in this video. Do you find it to be similar too, or is it just me?

@juanchacon8846 2 года назад

What software do you use?

@miguelsuarez8010 10 месяцев назад

That's why when I whistle sinf 38 I end up with the magic flute oberture.

@classicalmusic210 2 года назад

Don't you think the fanfare-like passages of the development of the 3rd movement are a bit like an allusion to the French overture-styled introduction of the 1st movement? Much like K.608?

@zelayaelijah 2 года назад

Hahaha the whistling is back

@juwonnnnn 2 года назад

👏

@toddscotdrumcovers2341 2 года назад

Is there a PDF with the annotations?

@NN-df7hl Год назад

Richard, isn't the Development and Recap also repeated? I believe I just heard Mackerras repeat it. Is that optional?

@Richard.Atkinson Год назад

I've never seen a score with a notated repeat, but some conductors like to repeat it anyway.

@rexz3409 Год назад

@@Richard.AtkinsonThe second half repeat is notated in the Neue Mozart Ausgabe edition.

@Richard.Atkinson Год назад

@@rexz3409 That makes sense. I think almost all Mozart sonata movements repeat the second half as well.

@johncenter4858 11 месяцев назад

I'm stunned by Beethoven's ripp off!

@brianr.3085 2 года назад

The rondo finale of the 18th piano concerto k.456 also opens with that triadic "calling card" motif you mentioned.

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

How’d I overlook that one!? Maybe because it’s in a different meter?

@hjo4104 2 года назад

@@Richard.Atkinson Yes, it's in 6/8... F-F-F|F-D-Bb

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

For me, it doesn’t sound like the same motif, since the 3rd of the triad (D in this case) isn’t on the downbeat. Otherwise, yes, it’s the same.

@classicalmusic210 2 года назад

I think most similarities of symphonic contrapuntal writing can be drawn between Michael Haydn and Mozart. Look at this Michael Haydn 33rd symphony ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Wd_tGncMC30.html written in Salzburg the same year Mozart wrote his 38th. Compare his 31th ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GnzHku6aHYE.html with Mozart's 41th ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gAmw8ATln68.html Mozart copied out (with K.291) the finale of Michael Haydn's 23rd before writing his K.387 finale. Many parts of this Michael Haydn 28th symphony ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-P8zNG6XKw1A.html sound similar to Mozart's 41th. Also listen to Michael Haydn's overture symphony 36th, written months before Mozart's 39th. I agree with H. C. Robbins Landon's hypothesis that Mozart knew Michael's final set of symphonies before writing his own 3 final symphonies.

@Sam-tj9np 2 года назад

M Haydn's 34th symphony has a theme Mozart used for the finale of his 39th ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Cr2CK__xveE.html

@alali2885 2 года назад

Why haven't you done any video or analysis of Rachmaninov's music ? I find his music really interesting... for example his piano concertos (n2&3) or his symphonies etc. I'm thinking maybe you just don't like his music, but if i'm wrong it would be great if you'd done some video/analysis about his music too 😃👍

@Richard.Atkinson 2 года назад

I’m not a huge fan.

@abhirambvs8818 2 года назад

@@Richard.Atkinson hey nice video. But I wish u made an analysis on Rachmaninov’s cello sonata. I’m not a huge fan Rachmaninov either but his cello sonata is an exception

@tamed4171 2 года назад

Not to sound too impatient, but how is the progress on the Brahms 2nd symphony 1st movement video? Unless I'm misremembering, you are doing videos on all 16 of his symphonic movements right? His 2nd symphony is my current favorite from his, so I am looking forward to that. But of course, take your time, the genius in your videos can't be rushed.

@adrianoseresi3525 2 года назад

MY GUY! Brahms’ second has one of the longest first movements of his symphonies. Quality over quantity I say, and quality takes time!

@tamed4171 2 года назад

@@adrianoseresi3525 Yes I know, I am just very impatient

@vesper250 2 года назад

Are my eyes deceiving me, or did you actually do it?!

@vesper250 2 года назад

Phenomenal!

@Tracotel 2 года назад

Harnoncourt/Concentus Musicus Wien is terrific. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-13cqJrYZAL0.html

@tareldarion6791 2 года назад

9:20 BRACIA PIERDOLEC!!!!???

@valeriofarinelli4340 2 года назад

I would not associate the theme of the fugato in Zauberflote to the Prague Symphony. It is simply the quote note by note of the opening of Muzio Clementi's piano sonata in B flat Major Op. 24 n. 2. The charlatan... 😉