Mozart’s G major string Serenade No. 13, commonly known as Eine kleine Nachtmusik (“A Little Night Music”), is among the most enduring popular music ever written. Responding to an unknown commission, Mozart dashed it off on August 10, 1787 in Vienna as he worked on the second act of the opera, Don Giovanni. Originally scored for string quartet and double bass, the piece is frequently performed by a string orchestra. German commentator Wolfgang Hildesheimer wrote, “even if we hear it on every street corner, its high quality is undisputed, an occasional piece from a light but happy pen.”
The opening of the first movement (Allegro) has become almost as iconic as the four-note motif from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. It makes use of the Mannheim Rocket, a popular device used by composers during the classical period which involves a fast, ascending arpeggiated melodic line. It serves as a cheerful musical “announcement,” capturing attention at a boisterous party in progress. The second movement (Romanze: Andante), a tender ballad, is followed by an elegant Minuet (Allegretto). The final movement (Rondo: Allegro) is filled with sparkling inner lines and fun-loving musical surprises.
Aaron Copland wrote that, with Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Mozart “tapped once again the source from which all music flows, expressing himself with a spontaneity and refinement and breathtaking rightness that has never since been duplicated.”
Featured Image: Salzburg’s Horse Fountain, photograph by G.Breitegger