August 10, 1788: Mozart completed Symphony No. 41

Last updated August 27, 2018.

Symphony No. 41 in C major (“Jupiter”), K. 551 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer) Composed: 1788 Completed: August 10, 1788 Sales: -- Peak: --

Quotable: “Regarded by many critics as among the greatest symphonies in classical music.” – Wikipedia

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Genre: classical > symphony

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Average Length: 31:50

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Parts/Movements:

1. Allegro vivace
2. Andante cantabile
3. Menuetto & Trio, Allegretto
4. Molto Allegro

Review: Mozart completed three symphonies in the summer of 1788; Symphony No. 41 was “the longest and last symphony that he composed.” WK It is also known as the “Jupiter” symphony, a nickname likely coined by the impresario Johann Peter Salomon. WK It is unknown if it was performed during Mozart’s lifetime. WK The symphony “aptly embodies what is now identified as a paradigm of Classical symphonic form: four movements, the first and last in a quick tempo, the second slower, the third a minuet with trio. Unencumbered by norms suggested by any model, however, Mozart’s deft imagination distinguishes this work from others in a similar cast.” MR “The first movement is characterized in part by the dramatic and effective employment of unexpected pauses in the rhythmic flow through the use of rests, a trait shared with and perhaps influenced by the symphonies of Haydn. After an initial regularity, irregular and changing phrase lengths contribute as well to the dramatic impetus. The serene F major quietude of the second movement’s opening is soon disrupted, posed against more restless, rhythmically insistent minor-key episodes. This calm/dark conflict continues throughout, the initial spirit eventually prevailing. The falling chromatic theme and flowing, even accompaniment of the Minuet set a graceful tone for the third movement.” MR “The companion Trio provides an earthier, more overtly dancelike mood, which is, however, interrupted by a suddenly more serious tutti outburst. The final movement is exceptional for the richness of its contrapuntal language, a somewhat unexpected — and, some of Mozart’s contemporaries would venture, unfashionable – attribute in a symphonic work of the time. The four-note motive that begins the movement is put through its paces in a number of guises, most prominently as the beginning of a recurrent canon and fugue subject which occurs both as originally presented and in inversion. The effect is one not of academicism but of great tension and dramatic impulse which, borne bristling and in search of resolution, finds its resting place only in the final bars.” MR Review Source(s): MR Michael Rodman, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia

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Today in Music (1788): Mozart completed Symphony No. 40

Symphony No. 40 in G minor (Great), K. 550 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer)

Composed: 1788 First Performed: July 25, 1788 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): -- Genre: classical > symphony

Parts/Movements: Molto allegro Andante Meuetto & Trio, Allegretto Allegro assai Average Duration: 26:40

Rating: 4.761 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings) Quotable: “One of the greatest works of a composer whose music so frequently defies adequate description” – Brian Robins, AllMusic.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Work: In the summer of 1788, Mozart composed his final three symphonies (39-41). These “are high points in the history of music.” TM He “is extremely attentive to form. The basic outline of a symphonic work hadn’t been codified all that long when Mozart began, and most of the late Mozart symphonies follow the accepted blueprint.” TM Still, “they’re notable for their wildly exuberant dances, their floral colors, and the way Mozart links seemingly disconnected four-to-six-note motifs into larger thematic groups.” TM Symphony No. 40, sometimes referred to as the “Great” symphony, “displays a thicker sense of orchestration and stormier, tempestuous proto-Beethoven moods; some believe this hints at the type of music Mozart might have made had he lived longer.” TM Some have argued that “Mozart had no specific occasion in mind for their performance” AM and that he simply wrote them for posterity. WK However, “scholar H. C. Robbins Landon has…[argued they were] written for a series of concerts…in the fall or Advent season of 1788.” AM Neal Zaslaw has offered evidence that “Mozart took the three symphonies on the tour he made to Germany the following year.” AM There is also other evidence of performances of the symphony from 1789 to 1791. WK “One aspect of the symphonies upon which commentators reach universal agreement is their extraordinary diversity of character; each has unique qualities which together utterly explode the myth that the extreme agitation and pathos of the G minor Symphony reflected the abject circumstances in which Mozart found himself at this period…Neither should it be forgotten that the tragic qualities so often associated with the symphony today have not always been apparent to all. To Robert Schumann the symphony was a work of ‘Grecian lightness and grace,’ while for a later writer, Alfred Einstein, there are passages that ‘plunge to the abyss of the soul.’” AM “The symphony is cast in the usual four movements; the opening Molto allegro immediately announces something unusual by starting not with characteristic loud ‘call to attention,’ but with quietly spoken agitation. The uneasy passion of the main theme leads to conclusions that seem to protest rather than find any consolation. The movement’s dominant feeling is urgency: upbeat after upbeat after upbeat occurs. Amid great instability and a questioning aura, we experience a peek into Don Giovanni’s abyss. In the finale, the horns intrude with wild swatches of color. There is even an eerie twelve-note insertion after the double bar in the Allegro assai section.” AM “There are two versions of the G minor symphony. The first is modestly scored for flute and pairs of oboes, horns, and strings, but at some point shortly after composition Mozart added parts for two clarinets, slightly altering the oboe parts to accommodate them. Such second thoughts surely also add credibility to the idea that Mozart led performances of the work – he would hardly have bothered with such refinements if the symphony was not being used for practical purposes.” AM

Reviews: AM AllMusic.com review by Brian Robins TM Tom Moon (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.: New York, NY. Pages 529-30. WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Links: Last updated 2/27/2026.