Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart uses the same forms as Haydn but fills them differently. Where Haydn often builds a movement from one theme, Mozart gives the second subject a new, contrasting melody, so his expositions have two clearly different characters and the transition between them is easy to hear. His developments are usually shorter than Beethoven's and his recapitulations closer to the exposition.

The three symphonies in this catalog, Nos. 39, 40 and 41, were written in the summer of 1788 within a few weeks of each other. The G minor, No. 40, is the rare Mozart symphony in a minor key and stays troubled to the end. The C major, No. 41, ends with a finale that combines five themes in counterpoint in its coda, which is why it came to be called the Jupiter.

His finales are often sonata-rondos, and his slow movements are frequently full sonata forms rather than simple ternary designs. The surface is smooth; the structure underneath is as strict as anyone's.