Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Born: January 27, 1756, Salzburg, Austria
Died: December 15, 1791, Vienna, Austria

Symphony No. 13 in F Major, K. 112

• Composed: 1771
  
• Premiere: November 1771
• Instrumentation: 2 oboes, 2 horns, strings
• CSO notable performances: These are the first CSO performances of the Symphony No. 13.
• Duration: approx. 14 minutes

At the time of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birth on January 27, 1756, Salzburg was an independent city-state ruled by a succession of prince-archbishops under the umbrella of the Holy Roman Empire. These religious and secular leaders were also the city’s largest employers: soldiers, lawyers, maids, chefs, valets and an entire orchestra of musicians were on their payroll. Wolfgang’s father, Leopold Mozart, had moved to the city 20 years earlier from a small Bavarian town to study law and philosophy. When he was kicked out for poor attendance, he turned to music and was eventually hired as a court violinist and violin teacher, joining the ranks of nearly a hundred musicians employed by the archbishop.

Soon after landing a job, Leopold married Anna Maria, a local woman with no formal schooling. Her father had died young, leaving the family to scrape by on a widow’s pension. Though she was often sickly as a child, Anna Maria learned how to cook, sew and keep house—all valuable assets for women of the time, whose main path to economic success was marriage. She gave birth to seven children, only two of whom survived past infancy: Wolfgang, the youngest, and his older sister, Nannerl.

The life of a court musician was far from glamorous and the Mozarts got by on very little. They lived in a small, rented apartment above a grocery and spice shop on a busy street in the center of Salzburg. When it became clear that both of his children were immeasurably gifted at the piano, Leopold seized the opportunity for financial gain and set about promoting them as child prodigies. The kindly Archbishop Schrattenbach, an ardent music lover, agreed to his employee’s request for a leave of absence to tour Europe and show off his genius progeny. Believing it would reflect well on his court, Schrattenbach partially subsidized the trip. The family also received financial backing from their landlord, the wealthy merchant Johann Hagenauer, who had become a close friend and supporter.

Wolfgang was six years old when the family set out on a tour that lasted three and half years. He and his sister played concerts in the royal courts of all the leading European cities, including Paris, London, Amsterdam and Vienna. One advantage of all the travel was the chance to hear the works of many prominent composers. In London, they befriended Johann Christian Bach, the son of J.S. Bach, who had become a popular figure in the musical life of the city. Wolfgang absorbed the elder composer’s style and began writing his own music. He completed his first symphony at age eight.

During the course of the family’s grand European tour, they had never ventured into the musical mecca of Italy. Once they were back home in Salzburg, Leopold now set his sights on visiting this country with his son. In order to develop as a composer, it was crucial that Mozart learn from the Italian symphonic and operatic traditions that were revered across Europe as the pinnacle of musical innovation.

In a turning point for the family, Leopold and Wolfgang left for Italy alone in the winter of 1769. Nannerl was 18 and no longer able to cause a sensation as a wunderkind performer. Almost an adult, she was expected to stay home and prepare for marriage. She could also help the household by taking on piano students for a small income. Anna Maria and Nannerl resented this decision, but without the allure of child stardom opening doors along the way, it was no longer financially feasible to travel as a family. Leopold wanted to focus all of his energy on his brilliant son—his gift from God, as he saw it—and nurture Wolfgang’s talent and reputation. There was also always the hope that an important connection, perhaps in a northern Italian court, could lead to a permanent position for Wolfgang and, in turn, his father.

The initial Italian tour lasted 15 months, with Mozart performing in 40 cities and towns across the country to great acclaim. Their time in Milan was a highlight and proved most productive when Wolfgang received a commission to compose an opera for the Teatro Regio Ducale, which would bring him back to the city the following year. As much as Leopold tried to secure employment at one of the Italian courts of the Habsburg Empire, he was unsuccessful. The two went home to Salzburg but were not emptyhanded: Wolfgang was well on his way to becoming an opera composer.

During the father and son’s second trip to Milan to oversee the production of the newly commissioned opera, Mozart composed his Symphony No. 13 in F Major. He was only 15, and this work is considered to be the last of his childhood symphonies. Like many of his early works, it draws from the style of Italian opera overtures, a popular convention that he was immersed in during his travels through the country. The first movement is in a boisterous triple meter. Energetic themes of running scales in the violins and spirited ostinato in the lower strings contrast with the lyrical, gentle motifs in the oboes and horns. The overall effect is full of charisma and charm.

The slow second movement proceeds with the simple grace of a song. The violins take the melodic line with the violas adding occasional harmony over a gently swaying accompaniment. The Minuet is stately and straightforward, while the middle trio section has a darker tone with subtle harmonic intricacies provided by the inner voice of the violas. The final movement is in rondo form, with a recurring dance-like refrain that is interspersed with softer sections that feature colorful, chromatic harmonies.

—Catherine Case