Life of Mozart

—30 MOZART'S INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.them with the many-sidedness of genius ; he did not, however,bequeath to Mozart, but rather received from him thewell-appointed, fully organised, and finely proportioned orchestraof our day. In his old age Haydn once complainedto Kalkbrenner that death should call man away before hehas accomplished his life-long desires: " I have only learntthe proper use of wind instruments in my old age, and now Imust pass away without turning my knowledge to account."*^The first of the seven Vienna symphonies is in D major(part 5, 385 K.), and was composed by Mozart, at his father'swish, for a Salzburg fete in the summer of 1782. He wroteit under the pressure of numerous engagements in less thana fortnight, sending the movements as they were ready tohis father (Vol. H., p. 311). No wonder that when he saw itagain he was " quite surprised," not " remembering a wordof it." For performance in Vienna (March 3, 1783) hereduced it to the usual four movements by the omission ofthe march and of one of the minuets, and strengthened thewind instruments very effectively in the first and last movementby flutes and clarinets.A lively, festive style was called for by the occasion, andin the treatment of the different movements the influence ofthe old serenade form is still visible. The first allegro hasonly one main subject, with which it begins ; this subjectenters with a bold leapand keeps its place to the end with a life and energyenhanced by harsh dissonances of wonderful freshness andvigour. The whole movement is a continuous treatment ofthis subject, no other independent motif occurring at all.The first part is therefore not repeated, the working-outsection is short, and the whole movement differs considerablyfrom the usual form of a first symphony movement. Theandante is in the simplest lyric form, pretty and refined, butnothing more; the minuet is fresh and brilhant (Vol. I., p. 219).So Kalkbrenner told me in Paris, in 1837.