Mozart & Mendelssohn: Nov 7–9, 2025
- cbeeson69
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
W.A. Mozart
Violin Concerto No. 4
Oh hi there! In more of a listening mood?
I made an audio version of my notes you can listen to here!
DIVE IN here to read and watch stuff!
Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, aka Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart aka Wolfie (1756-1791) was an Austrian composer of the Classical era. He was the younger brother to celebrated prodigy keyboardist and composer Maria Anna "Nannerl" Mozart, and the son of respected violin pedagogue Leopold Mozart. Wolfie "Amadeus" is one of the most instantly recognizable composers of Western European classical music, and together with Franz Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven templated the First Viennese School of compositional style.
Highlights:
Mozart composed 5 concerti for violin and orchestra, all within 1775 while he was in Italy with his famous composer and violin pedagogue father Leopold. He was still developing his skills at composition, which is very evident in the evolution of these 5 in terms of complexity and inventiveness.
He was also under pressure from his father to improve his performing skills on the violin, and likely composed the later concerti for a much more adept violinist colleague, Antonio Brunetti, to premiere.
This may have chapped Leopold a bit, since he was still riding Wolfie about his progress two years later as evidenced in a letter he wrote saying “Did you not practice the violin at all while you were in Munich? I dare say that would be really deplorable, particularly since Brunetti praised you to the skies!” Parents, amiright? 😂
Concerto No. 4 is a standard solo work for serious advanced violin students to study, is often required in professional audition settings, and is performed with similar frequency as the also very popular 5th concerto.
Concerto No. 4 is structured in a typical fashion - an aria-like slow movement bookended by quicker paced outer movements. The first movement, Allegro (Lively tempo), features a snappy military rhythm characteristic. The middle movement, Andante cantabile (Moderate pace; singing), reflects the immersion in opera that Mozart was studying at the time with its long singing melodic lines. The final movement, Rondeau: Andante grazioso-Allegro ma non troppo (Alternating form: Moderate pace; graceful-Lively pace but not too much) features folk dance elements like a jig and a droning hurdy-gurdy effect from the solo violin, suggesting the feeling of a party or festival. The whole concerto is a vibe!
Of the three most often performed violin concerti by Mozart (numbers 3, 4, and 5) - it is the most muscular; not quite as flamboyant as No. 5 or as introverted as No. 3. It has a heroic quality to it from the outset, and is an exciting way to enliven a night out to the symphony even with its fadeout ending!
A typical performance of Violin Concerto No. 4 lasts about 25 minutes.
Resources:
Extra Tidbits for nerd cred...
The Mozart family was super mega talented and each of them somewhat self assured. Leopold displayed early skills as a vocalist, actor, violinist, and keyboardist with a keen interest in philosophy and scientific instruments being developed at the time. He rejected his parents' plan to guide him into Catholic priesthood, instead obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy in 1738 and then finding employment as a violinist and composer by 1740. By 1755 he was so well established as a master pedagogue that he was able to publish a treatise on violin playing. This book, Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule (A Treatise on the Fundamental Principles of Violin Playing), has remained of vital importance for study even today.
It's not hard to imagine how the reputation of Leopold as a music teacher would both be influenced by his ability to raise two superstar performer/composers AND cause him to treat his children as his own calling card to the world. There are various biographers and historians who hold differentiated views on the likelihood of each of these positions, based on written correspondence and reports of the time. In any case, he was devoted to the musical development of both Nannerl and Wolfie, and eventually to the career development of Wolfie despite the many frustrations offered him by Wolfie's erratic and often immature behavior.
It seems clear that in both cases Wolfgang and Maria Anna eclipsed their father's level of performance proficiency, likely due to his instruction at home from an early age. Clearly Wolfgang eclipsed Leopold's composition prowess, but what will never be known is how that might be true of Maria Anna since she was denied the opportunity to continue composing music and, tragically, not a single one of her earlier compositions was published or remains extant in manuscript form. We do have an existing note from Wolfgang praising a composition of hers "My dear sister! I am in awe that you can compose so well, in a word, the song you wrote is beautiful", but it's hardly enough to make a fair judgement. Maria Anna was instead relegated to keeping house and caring for her father before finally marrying quite late and into an unsupportive relationship which had her keeping house and caring for that husband and his numerous children from a previous marriage. What an absolute waste of brilliance and potential. There. I said it. Fight me.
For more deep diving into the Mozart family, check out "The Mozart Family: Four Lives in a Social Context" by Ruth Halliwell. Maynard Solomon's "Mozart: A Life" is one of the most read biographies of Wolfgang.
Happy nerding! 🤓
Felix Mendelssohn
"Lobgesang"
DIVE IN!
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a German composer, conductor, and pianist during the early Romantic era. He was also brother to composer and pianist Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, and grandson of influential Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, born Moses Mendel, ergo the name “Mendel’s son” and a really handy way to remember how to spell it correctly! (Kinda weird flex for Fanny though… 🤓)
highlights:
Felix Mendelssohn composed "Lobgesang" Hymn of Praise in 1840. It was a commission specifically to mark the 400th anniversary of the invention of Gutenberg's movable type printing press and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible.
Mendelssohn called it a "Symphony-Cantata on Words of the Holy Bible for Soloists, Choir, and Orchestra". On paper it looks quite daunting with 13 distinct movements, like chapters in a musical chapter book. The first three movements are for orchestra alone and constitute the symphonic portion. The final ten movements form the cantata portion with two soprano soloists, a tenor soloist, chorus, and orchestra. In this way it mirrors Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th "Ode to Joy" Symphony, composed in the early 1820s. In fact Felix Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" is the first work with this structure since Beethoven's famous 9th.
"Lobgesang" was posthumously published as "Symphony No. 2" following the date of composition within his 4 major symphonic works but it's not clear that Mendelssohn intended for it to be considered a symphony. Therefore it is considered both to be his second symphony and an example of a sacred vocal work.
Felix Mendelssohn's "Lobgesang" was one of his most popular works during his lifetime. Today it isn't performed as often as his other works. This could be due in part to the 'neither fish nor fowl' structure, and the fact that it clocks in at twice the length of his other symphonic works. However, it bears consideration that much of Mendelssohn's work was suppressed first through vilification of Jewish composers by Richard Wagner and later by the Nazi party's censorship of Jewish art and culture. Now of course it survives and thrives as a testament to joy and praise with its text taken largely from Psalms, and is a wonderful successor to the similarly constructed "Ode to Joy" 9th Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven.
"Lobgesang" Symphony-Cantata is scored for two sopranos, tenor, chorus, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, organ, and the usual string sections of violins, violas, cellos, and basses.
A typical performance last 65-75 minutes.
Resources:
English movement titles and text:
Symphony:
Majestic with motion - Lively tempo
A bit lively tempo with some agitation
Slow tempo; religious
2. Chorus and soprano
Everything that has breath praise the Lord. (Psalm 150)
Praise the Lord with the lyre, praise him with your song. (Psalm 33)
And let all flesh bless his holy name. (Psalm 145)
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not that he has done you good. (Psalm 103)
3. Recitative and aria
Say it that you are redeemed by the Lord,
he has delivered them out of trouble,
of severe tribulation, from shame and bondage
captives in the darkness,
all which he hath redeemed from distress
Say it! Give thanks to him and praise ye, His goodness! (Psalm 107)
He numbers our tears in our time of need,
he comforts the afflicted with his word. (Psalm 56)
Say it! Give thanks to him and praise ye his kindness.
4. Chorus
Say it that you are redeemed by the Lord out of all tribulation.
He numbers our tears in our time of need.
5. Duet and Chorus
I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my supplication. (Psalm 40:1)
Blessed is the man whose hope is in the Lord! (Psalm 40:4)
Blessed is the man whose hope is in him!
6. Tenor und Soprano
The sorrows of death encompassed us
and fear of hell had struck us,
We wandered in darkness. (Psalm 116)
He saith, Awake! you who sleep,
arise from the dead, I will enlighten you! (Ephesians 5:14)
We called in the darkness, Watchman, will the night soon pass?
But the Watchman said:
if the morning comes soon, it will yet again be night;
and if you ask, you will return
and ask again, Watchman, will the night soon pass? (Isaiah 21:11–12)
7. Chorus
The night has passed, but the day has come.
So let us cast off the works of darkness,
and put on the armor of light,
and take up the armor of light. (Romans 13:12)
8. Chorale**
Now let us all thank God with hearts and hands and voices,
who in all adversity will be merciful to us,
who does so much good, who from childhood
has kept us in his care and done good to all.
Praise, honor and glory be to God the Father, and the Son,
and his Holy Spirit on heaven's highest throne.
Praise to God, three in one, who separated night and darkness
from light and dawn, give thanks to him with our song.
9. Duet
So I sing your praises with my song forever, faithful God!
And thank you for all the good you have done to me.
Though I wander in night and deep darkness
and enemies beset me all around
I will call upon the name of the Lord,
and he saved me by His goodness.
10. Chorus
You peoples! give unto the Lord glory and strength!
You kings! give unto the Lord glory and strength!
The sky will bring forth the Lord glory and strength!
Let the earth bring forth the Lord glory and strength! (Psalm 96)
All thanks to the Lord!
Praise the Lord and exalt his name
and praise his glory. (I Chronicles 16:8–10)
Everything that has breath praise the Lord, Hallelujah! (Psalm 150)
**Nerd Alert! The chorale movement is a Mendelssohn reharmonization of a hymn composed in 1636 by Martin Rinkart, “Nun danker all Gott”. It has become the standard harmonization for this hymn apart from inclusion in “Lobgesang”.
Extra cool nerdery!
Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847) was the older sister of Felix, and like Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart (1751-1829), was an accomplished keyboardist and composer in her own right who nevertheless was held back from fully inhabiting those roles due to societal expectations of women. At least in Fanny’s case she had support to continue composing, but not to publish. Nannerl received no such support and as a result none of her works survive today. Fanny composed around 500 works, including three larger works for chorus and orchestra in 1831, one of which is entitled “Lobgesang”!
Fanny’s Lobgesang (Song of Praise) came 9 years before her brother Felix’s version. It was a celebration for the birth of the her son who she rather auspiciously named Felix Ludwig Sebastian - after his uncle as well as Bach and Beethoven. No pressure, kid! 👀🤓😎
At about 15 minutes in length it is a shorter work than Felix’s grand Symphony-Cantata, but carries a similar structure, beginning with an orchestral Pastorale before introducing vocal music with text from Psalms, and eventually finishing with a chorus on a text of joy and praise.
In 2000, Polish composer Henryk Górecki (1933-2010) was commissioned to write a work to mark the 600th anniversary of Gutenberg’s birth. He composed “Lobgesang”, Op. 76 as a sacred choral work for a cappella mixed choir and glockenspiel (a metallic keyboard style percussion instrument with bell-like qualities). He built the text around phrases taken from Psalms. It is a beautiful 8 minute work which finishes with the chorus on an impossibly long drone as the glockenspiel chimes.
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