Pierre Souvtchinsky, the philosopher who helped Strawinsky write “the Poetics of Music” described a composer’s creative process as follows:

1. The theme of the work, which reflects the composer’s fundamental tendency, always specific, limited, and determined;
2. The compositional technique, which is mutually dependent on the work’s main theme; and
3. What one might call the composer’s personal musical experience.

Igor Strawinsky liked calling himself an “inventor of music”, echoing the above. Haydn and Mozart are credited with inventing the four-movement form which was later adopted by most composers of symphonies and string quartets. Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A major follows this same four-movement form:

• a brisk opening movement: the Allegro
• a slower, more lyrical second movement: Larghetto
• then comes a 3-beat dance, the Minuet and Trio,
• a final brisk movement, in this case, an Allegretto con Variationi (“quick with variations”).

Below you will find a short recording of the themes on which Mozart used his technique to create this masterpiece.

The “main themes” of our piece are the key of A Major, and the contrast of the clarinet against a string quartet. This takes form in a handful of melodies which can be heard by clicking below. These short excerpts also demonstrate the compositional techniques: exposition, development, variations… Mozart did A LOT more than what is described below, but we hope these excerpts can be helpful to prepare you to enjoy better the full piece in our concert next week.

Movement 1 (Allegro) follows what became later known as a “Sonata Form” : exposition of two contrasting themes, development, then recapitulation.

Exposition of theme one (in A major):

Exposition of theme two, in E major. The immediate answer from the clarinet is however in E minor, providing a mood change…:

Development of the first theme, in the key of D Major called the “dominant” of the original key of A major, a perfect fifth higher:

Recapitulation, Theme one. Back to A major.

Recapitulation, theme two, also A major… Except that the clarinet keeps insisting on that “minor” mood, in A minor.

Movement 2 (Larghetto, meaning “somewhat slow”). The structure used by Mozart is called “ternary” or A-B-A with the third section returning to the initial theme.

Section A with two phrases from the clarinet inviting the violin into a duet. This second movement starts in D major, the “dominant” key we already encountered in the first movement.

Section B: the duet continue, but has evolved. Still in D major.

Return to Section A-like material.

Movement 3 (Minuet and Trio). Mozart, like other composers, knew his auditors liked dance and could easily relate to dance-like tune, which seemed natural after a slow movement. Minuet (rhythmic, in 3 beats) alternating with Trios (also 3-beat dances, but lighter and more melodic).

Theme of the Minuet, in the original key of A major:

First Trio. Here, Mozart chose to only use the strings, not the clarinet. The key for the trio is A minor, going back to the major mood through the key of C major.

The music returns to the Minuet (A major), then a second Trio, still in A major, with the clarinet this time:

Movement 4 (Allegretto and variations).

Initial theme, in A major, that Mozart will then transform in 6 different “variations”.

First variation: a clarinet countermelody is featured, still in A major.

Second variation: the first violin is featured, still in A major.

Third variation: the viola is featured, in A minor.

Fourth variation: virtuosic clarinet featured, in A major.

Fifth variation. Surprise!… This one is an adagio (slow tempo) we did not expect. The first violin is featured, in A major.

Sixth variation, starts very much like the original, then turn into a CODA, meaning a conclusion, for the whole piece!

Credit to somethingclassical.blogspot.com for their analysis (link below). Thank you for reading that far!!