Such was the impression that
Mozart's 41'st symphony made on 18th century and early 19th century listeners,
that the symphony was given the nickname 'Jupiter'. Jupiter is the largest
planet in our solar system, and is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Zeus,
the god of lightning and storms.
And it is a large work in every
way. It is the longest symphony Mozart wrote, and pushes at the edges of the
Classical era envelope of expression, skirting ever so closely to the
approaching new era of Romanticism. The three final symphonies are a
trilogy, where No. 39 is firmly rooted in the Classical era but shows flashes
of expanding the style of expression, while No. 40 bounces against convention
in its more outward flashes of emotion, content, and key. No. 41 is the
all-around grandest of them all, and continues to attract listeners after over
200 years.
As large and grand as it is, Mozart did not include clarinets, nor
did he write a revision with them included as he did for symphony No. 40.
I. Allegro vivace - Mozart does away with any kind of introduction and jumps right into the
first theme group that begins loudly and with an upward figure drenched in C
major. Two bars of more quiet music immediately answer this, and then the first
two measures are heard again, this time in G major. The music continues in
dotted rhythmic fanfares in the woodwinds and horns, with the 1st violins
sketching out the harmony while the 2nd violins and violas play rapid downward
runs. There is nothing harmonically that is daring in the first few bars.
Rather, it is the tried and true chord progression of tonic, dominant seventh,
subdominant, in this case C major, G dominant 7th, F major. But this beginning
proves that a skilled and gifted composer can make a simple chord progression
sound exciting.

The two motives are developed in
the next section, which leads to the second theme group, which is begun quietly
in the key of G major. There is a section in C minor that is in contrast to
what has proceeded, after which the music flows back into the fanfare dotted
rhythms. There is a third theme to be heard, then the fanfares return and the
exposition is repeated.
The music shifts to E-flat major at the beginning of the
development section, and parts of the third theme are developed until Mozart
pulls a little bit of a trick on the listener. The opening theme is heard
softly, as an anticipation of the recapitulation, but the fanfares come back
and are expanded until the true recapitulation begins with the usual changing
of keys of the second theme group along with some small development. The
movement ends with a final fanfare.
II. Andante cantabile - The strings are muted in this movement, a type
of extended song form.
The music begins in F major. An
episode follows in snatches of F minor and C minor. The first theme returns
with a more decorated accompaniment. This movement is in sonata form, so Mozart
inserts a repeat sign that is not always adhered to in modern performances.
This movement has some of the most beautiful music Mozart ever wrote, along
with some emotionally more acute sections.
III. Menuetto: Allegretto - Another Mozart menuetto that has little
resemblance to the French dance. It resembles a Ländler, and has its chromatic
moments as much of late Mozart does.
It goes stomping on its
merry way until the trio. The first part of the trio is gentle in character,
while the second part is in a minor key and more forceful. In the beginning of
the second part of the trio, the first four notes in the flute, oboe, bassoon,
and violin contain what will become a prominent theme of the upcoming final
movement.
IV. Molto allegro - The finale begins with the
theme that was foreshadowed in the trio of the previous movement.
This theme proceeds until another theme is heard. After that, the first
theme is fugally developed. There are a total of five primary themes in this
movement. They enter alone, sometimes in counterpoint to another; sometimes
each theme is treated fugally by itself. There is ready evidence that
Mozart was flexing his compositional muscle with this movement, but the most
astounding is yet to come. Just before the end of the symphony, there is a coda
that includes all five of the primary themes played together, each one a voice in
a 5-part fugue.