Symphony No.

1 (Mozart)
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Symphony in E♭ major
No. 1
by W. A. Mozart

First page of the autograph manuscript

Key E-flat major
Catalogue K. 16
Composed 1764
Movements Three (Molto allegro, Andante,
Presto)

The Symphony No. 1 in E♭ major, K. 16, was written in 1764 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the
age of eight years.[1] By this time, he was already notable in Europe as a wunderkind performer, but
had composed little music.

The autograph score of the symphony is today preserved in the Biblioteka Jagiellońska in Kraków.[1]

Contents

 1 Background
 2 Movements and instrumentation
 3 References
 4 External links

Background[edit]
The piece was written on the Mozart family's Grand Tour of Europe in London when they had to
move to Chelsea during the summer of 1764 due to Mozart's father Leopold's illness (throat
infection).[1][2] The house at 180 Ebury Street, now in the borough of Westminster, where this
symphony was written, is marked with a plaque. The symphony was first performed on 21 February
1765. The work shows the influence of several composers, including his father and the sons of
Johann Sebastian Bach, especially Johann Christian Bach, an important early symphonist working in
London whom Mozart had met during his time there.

Movements and instrumentation[edit]

The symphony is scored for 2 oboes, 2 horns, harpsichord and strings.

0:00

The work is in 3 movements:

1. Molto allegro, 4
4

2. Andante, C minor, 2
4

3. Presto, 3
8

In the second movement, the eight-year-old Mozart makes use of the four note motif that
appears in the finale of his Jupiter symphony, No. 41. The four notes, Do, Re, Fa, Mi, make an
appearance in several of Mozart's works, including his Symphony No. 33.[3] This theme is stated
by the horns in his first symphony.

In his book on the Piano Concertos, Cuthbert Girdlestone pointed out the similarity between the
opening of this symphony and that of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 22 K482, composed some
twenty years later.[4]

References[edit]

1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (2005). Die Sinfonien I. Translated by Robinson, J.
Branford. Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag. pp. IX. ISMN M-006-20466-3
2. ^ Sadie, Stanley, Mozart: The Early Years 1756–1781, p 64–65, Oxford University (2006),
ISBN 978-0-19-816529-3
3. ^ "Fall Concert 2011". Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
4. ^ Girdlestone, C. M. (1948, p346) Mozart’s Piano Concertos. London, Cassell.