The Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201/186a, was completed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on 6 April 1774. [1] [2] It is, along with Symphony No. 25, one of his better known early symphonies. Stanley Sadie characterizes it as "a landmark ... personal in tone, indeed perhaps more individual in its combination of an intimate, chamber music style with a still fiery and impulsive manner." [3]
The symphony is scored for 2 oboes, 2 horns and strings, as was typical of early-period Mozart symphonies.
There are four movements:
The first movement is in
sonata form, with a graceful principal
theme characterized by an
octave drop and ambitious horn passages. The second movement is scored for
muted strings with limited use of the winds, and is also in sonata form. The third movement, a minuet, is characterized by nervous
dotted
rhythms and
staccato phrases; the trio provides a more graceful contrast. The energetic last movement, another sonata-form movement in 6
8
time, connects back to the first movement with its octave drop in the main theme.