Comment on the differences between the exposition and the recapitulation in Mozart's 41st Symphony

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The difference in material between the exposition and the recap

Mozart’s 41st symphony is written in sonata form which plays host to three main sections. These sections are the exposition, the development and the recapitulation. Whilst the development introduces new ideas, motifs etc, it is the exposition and recapitulation that bear the same musical integrity as one another. This being said however, when the previous musical ideas created in the exposition are reiterated in the recapitulation, they are not necessarily exactly the same. I will attempt to explore the extent to which the two sections differ from on another within this essay.

Most noticeably in this recapitulation is the lack of full modulation to the dominant. Instead we stay generally in C throughout (apart from b.225 - 243). Phrases and motifs that were in the dominant previously stay within C. One of the reasons behind this is that staying with the tonic is the realisation for the listener that we have come to the end by returning to the home key.

At the very start of the recapitulation, there is no change to the way it is scored thus ensuring the overall texture is identical to what we have heard at the beginning. This imitation continues up to b.212 where the first difference is noticed. From the G that we finished on in 211, we now move into the tonic minor. From b.212 - 215, it is also worthwhile noting that there is an absence of brass, timpani and lower strings. This guarantees quite a distinguishable difference from the beginning of the recap (along with the fact is written with piano dynamics). This section borrows material from a couple of places in the transition, such as the descending quavers. It also however introduces a new idea in the oboes and bassoons, where they are playing high crotchets on beat 2 and 3 (b.220 - 224). I find this adds a sense of drive, and even though we are still in piano dynamics, it accentuates the sense of pace that the triplet semiquavers asserted at the beginning of this section. This section is different to the one Mozart uses in the exposition, but nevertheless it returns back to the triplet motif.

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This is scored in the dominant and we modulate to this key briefly before returning to the tonic. In b.235, there is an alternating harmony from what is a D7 chord without the root (diminished - f# a c) to a G major chord. This alteration occurs on every beat. It is there more or less to reinstate the fact we have briefly modulated to the dominant, and also to provide a pathway for the next section. This section is one we have previously seen before in the exposition but is in the dominant instead. The use of syncopation ...

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