# Mozart questions



## Aurelian (Sep 9, 2011)

In the 3rd movement of his 22nd Piano Concerto and the 2nd movement of his 23rd Piano Concerto there are mysterious "blank spots" in which there is no melody - just an alternating 8th note and rest. This indicates to me that Mozart intended for the soloist to improvise or that he did write a piano parts for those passages, but they were lost. Can somebody give more details?

How do you feel about the happy ending to his G-minor string quintet (K. 516)? I think it is OK, but I have read criticisms of this.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Aurelian said:


> In the 3rd movement of his 22nd Piano Concerto and the 2nd movement of his 23rd Piano Concerto there are mysterious "blank spots" in which there is no melody - just an alternating 8th note and rest. This indicates to me that Mozart intended for the soloist to improvise or that he did write a piano parts for those passages, but they were lost. Can somebody give more details?
> 
> How do you feel about the happy ending to his G-minor string quintet (K. 516)? I think it is OK, but I have read criticisms of this.


I'm sure it indicates embellishment places. The long 22nd concerto third movement is full of improvising spots.

As to one of the true glories of the chamber music repertoire, the G minor string quintet, the final movement is one of the most glorious moments in all Mozart. It is NOT happy! It is "bittersweet". After all, he wrote this piece after the death of his father and it's basically a gloomy piece. To me that ending says, "I've mourned, but life will go on". A tremendous contrast to all that came before.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

It's critical to realize 18th century music involved extensive improvisation, something not seen vastly today, and the performing artist has the artistic responsibility to improvise and embellish, as did Mozart and his times.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

ArtMusic said:


> It's critical to realize 18th century music involved extensive improvisation, something not seen vastly today, and the performing artist has the artistic responsibility to improvise and embellish, as did Mozart and his times.


Hallelujah ,


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

In classical concertos there are conventional spots for improvised cadenzas, generally right before the end of a movement over the dominant chord (a I 6/4 is what you will read in most books, but lets keep it simple). Later composers often wrote out cadenzas for these spots and modern pianists, those who are uncomfortable with improvisation, play these written cadenzas. Mozart would have just improvised them, as would any pianist worth their salt in his day.


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