Mozart Symphony n.40 K550 – Movements 2-3

Second movement: Andante

In case you don’t have it at hand, here’s a quick link to the score.

“The key of passionate grief” that dominates 3 out of 4 movements of the symphony – G minor – leaves room here for the warm and regal key of Eb major.

This movement has a constant pulse of eight notes: it’s the beating heart of the piece. In my imagination, I also picture it as a king entering a hall full of courtesans, respectfully bowing with elegance.

Exposition

The tempo marking is Andante which means, literally, going, or moving. This gives you the idea of not too slow of a tempo. The first phrase is a perfectly balanced 8 bars phrase, split exactly in half. The beating heart starts in the violas