The Symphony No. 1 in E major, K. 16, is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's first ever symphony, written in August or September 1764 at the age of only eight. By this time, he was already notable in Europe as a child prodigy (Wunderkind) but had composed little music.
The autograph score (handwritten original) of the symphony is today preserved in the Biblioteka Jagiellońska in Kraków. The house at 180 Ebury Street, now in the borough of Westminster, where this symphony was written, is marked with a plaque.thumb|Commemorating plaque at 180 [[Ebury Street, in Belgravia|200x200px]]
Due to the severity of his illness, Leopold demanded total silence. He forbade any noise from being made anywhere in the house, not even music. Mozart occupied himself by composing the symphony silently in his mind, since, according to an account by Nannerl, they were forbidden from touching the harpsichord.
The symphony was first performed on 21 February 1765 at the Theatre Royal Haymarket
Music
The symphony is scored for two oboes, two horns in E, strings, and basso continuo.
The work is in three movements:
I. Molto allegro
The first movement opens with an exuberant unison fanfare; it is then answered quietly by a gentler accompanied passage accompanied by the basso continuo. The contrast between loud and soft passages here provides the movement's principal character. Dr. Marc Rochester suggests that shivering strings remind listeners of the cold English winter weather under which the symphony was composed.
II. Andante
:<score sound raw>
\header { tagline = ##f }
\paper { paper-width = 270\mm }
\layout { indent = 0\cm
\context { \Score \remove "Bar_number_engraver" }
\context { \Voice \remove "Dynamic_engraver" }
}
global = { \key c \minor \time 2/4 }
oboe = \relative c { \global es2_\markup { \musicglyph #"p" }\p | f | f | es | d | es4}
oboeII = \relative c { \global
g2 | as | b | c~ | c4. b8 | c4
}
violin = \relative c { \global
\repeat unfold 2 { \tuplet 3/2 { <g es>16-.\p [q-. q-.] } } \omit TupletNumber \repeat unfold 2 { \tuplet 3/2 { q-. [q-. q-.] } }
\repeat unfold 4 { \tuplet 3/2 { <as f>16-. [q-. q-.] } }
\repeat unfold 4 { \tuplet 3/2 { <f d>16-. [q-. q-.] } }
\repeat unfold 4 { \tuplet 3/2 { <es c>16-. [q-. q-.] } }
\repeat unfold 3 { \tuplet 3/2 { <d c>16-. [q-. q-.] } } \tuplet 3/2 { <d b> q q } |
\tuplet 3/2 { <c as> [<c g es> q] } \tuplet 3/2 { <c g es> q q }
}
cello = \relative c { \global
r8 c16-!\f d-! es-! f-! g8-! | r f16-! g-! as-! g-! f8-! |
r8 g,16-! a-! b-! c-! d8-! | r c16-! d-! es-! d-! c8-! |
r8 f16 (fis g8) g,-! | \omit TupletNumber \repeat unfold 2 { \tuplet 3/2 { c16-! [c-! c-!] } }
}
oboePart = \new Staff \with {
instrumentName = "Ob."
midiInstrument = "oboe"
} << \oboe \\ \oboeII >>
celloPart = \new Staff \with {
instrumentName = "Vc."
midiInstrument = "cello"
} { \clef bass \cello }
\score {
\new StaffGroup
<<
\oboePart
\new Staff \with { instrumentName = "Vl." midiInstrument = "string ensemble 1" } \violin
\celloPart
>>
\layout { }
\midi { \tempo 4 = 45 }
}
</score>
In the second movement, Mozart makes use of the four note motif that would appear in the fourth movement of his final symphony, No. 41, known as the "Jupiter". The four notes, C, D, F, E, make an appearance in several of Mozart's works, including his Symphony No. 33; this theme is stated by the horns in his first symphony. The horns play this theme above a slow, heavy bass line which likely reflects his concern for his father's severe illness.