Heavenly! (Mystery Symphony)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Salzburg, 1764 Minuet in G Major KV 1(1e) with Trio in C Major KV1(1f) for piano, interior of Mozarts Geburtshaus. Photo by Yair Haklai, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Last week we talked about Scubert’s 5th, and how much it sounded like late Mozart. This week, we examine another work that sounds even more like late Mozart.

Its young composer had written dozens of pieces, some clever, some charming, but pretty much all recognizable as juvenalia or student work, more remarkable for his youth than the music itself. This is his first work that achieves the kind of perfection he became known for, and ironically if you don’t recognize it, it’s easy to mistake for late Mozart.

Why is that ironic? Because it’s early Mozart, written at age 18. But it’s every bit as lovely, flowing, and perfectly constructed as the far more famous last six.