Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551, “Jupiter”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

THE STORY

In the final five years of his short life, Mozart produced masterpieces including the operas The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Cosí fan tutte, and The Magic Flute, five piano concertos, four symphonies, and his unfinished Requiem mass.

Mozart’s final three symphonies including his last, Symphony No. 41, were written in the span of a remarkable nine weeks in the summer of 1788—while the composer was simultaneously grieving the loss of a six-month-old child, taking care of his sick wife, and dodging debt collectors. He would pass away in a little over three years, at the age of 36.

Though no reliable source exists detailing the premiere or its reception, this final symphony quickly gained renown as one of the greatest compositions for orchestra. Mozart put on display his mastery of compositional technique— form, melodic writing, rhythmic play, and orchestration. Its status as the pinnacle of symphonic writing up to that point earned it the nickname “Jupiter,” named by a future publisher after the Roman king of the gods. Despite the turmoil in his life, in his final symphony Mozart grins confidently and winks, declaring, “Look what I can do.”

LISTEN FOR

• The three ascending gestures that open the first movement, played in unison by the orchestra, followed by a sweet, lilting figure in the violins: two elements which serve as the foundation for the entire movement
• The muted strings giving the second movement a dreamy, distant, and warm quality
• The descending chromatic scale that begins the courtly dance of the third movement
• The end of the fourth movement, which features five independent melodic lines playing simultaneously in a dazzling display

INSTRUMENTATION

Flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, strings