Matthew Perez

Music 700
12/15/14

Mozart's Use of Developmental Chromaticism

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the idea of chromaticism as a developmental focus in
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's K. 504 Prague Symphony. It is my belief that this work has been
neglected in terms of a substantial analysis, and that those scholars who have already tried to describe
its theoretical workings have failed to uncover what musical ideas the piece is based on. I would
therefore like to assert that the Prague Symphony is a work in which a rising and falling chromatic
scale is the main motif being developed. I have come to this conclusion through the study of what
scholars have already written about chromaticism in classical music and my own analysis of the
symphony in which I have observed an unusual use of augmented harmony in the first movement's
primary theme, and the harmonically varied structure of the development section. My theory about
Mozart's use of the chromatic scale as a fundamental part of the work's design will attempt to explain
these two features. In order to remain focused and present a concise argument, I will be limiting my
discussion to the first movement of the work without the inclusion of its recapitulation.

I. A Brief History
Georges de Saint-Foix notes that the K. 504 symphony was written during a period of artistic
growth for the composer.1 He further claims that a large part of Mozart's decision to reevaluate and
modify his style was because of the influence of Italian-born composer Muzio Clementi. 2 It is these
factors which contributed to the work's highly original nature in terms of its developmental process and
overall structure. Much to Mozart's amusement, the work's success was equal to its anticipation. 3
Neal Zaslaw goes as far as to say that the symphony was a favorite among the public of Prague, citing
1 Georges de Saint-Foix, The Symphonies of Mozart (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1949), 97.
2 Saint-Foix, 98.
3 Saint-Foix, 98.

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an essay written by Prague schoolmaster Franz Niemetschek. 4 Entrusted with the education of
Karl Thomas Mozart, Niemetschek wrote in 1798 that the symphony was still always a favorite
in Prague, although it has no doubt been heard a hundred times. 5 Saint-Foix goes on to praise
the work as being entirely original in its compositional language and progressive nature,
asserting that it was very modern for its time. 6 Zaslaw too takes note of the Prague symphony's
unique nature, suggesting that the work is distinct in that it is noticeably more difficult than the
composer's previous absolute symphonic works.7 He concludes his arguments by stating that
the composition of K. 504 was a realization of Mozart finally treating the symphony as a mature
and complex genre.8

II. A Cursory Analysis

Theorist Charles Rosen once described the Prague symphony as a work which unites
grandeur and lyricism as no other.9 The work is certainly special, and Mozart's unique ability to
capture both delicate beauty and splendor within in a single movement is impressive. Elaine R.
Sisman gives further commentary about the work's character by stating that it has undeniable
genre links both to concerto and to opera.10 This is immediately apparent when looking at the
slow introduction of the symphony. The dramatic contrasts found between dynamic levels and
instrument groups strongly suggest operatic gestures, while also evoking memories of Mozart's
previously composed piano concertos. For example, Mozart's K. 466 piano concerto (written in
the parallel minor key of the Prague symphony) begins with a similar triplet motive (Ex. 1). It is
4 Neal Zaslaw, Mozart's Symphonies (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989), 411.
5 Franz Niemetschek, Leben des K. K. Kapellmeisters Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozart, nach Originalquellen
beschrieben (Prague, 1798); trans. H. Mautner as Life of Mozart (London, 1956), 35-37.
6 Saint-Foix, 99.
7 Zaslaw, 412.
8 Zaslaw, 517.
9 Charles Rosen, Sonata Forms (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), 201.
10 Elaine R. Sisman, Genre, Gesture, and Meaning in Mozart's Prague Symphony, Mozart Studies 2 (1997): 27.

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Example 1A. Prague Symphony, m. 1-3

not, however, arranged in an orchestral unison like the one we see in the first measure of K. 504.
Indeed, the Prague symphony starts with a commanding call to attention only to be answered
by a sweet and lyrical line as played by the first violins in measure 7. The true shock in the slow
introduction occurs at measure 16 in which a statement written in the parallel minor is inserted at
a loud dynamic. What follows is a sequential passage lasting from m. 16 to 27. Far from being an
ordinary section, these measures contain something quite informative regarding the structure of
the rest of the movement. If one traces the cello line from m. 20 through 28, it will become clear
that a chromatic rise from F to A is being harmonized (Ex. 2). This chromatic motion by half
step will become not only a reoccurring motive in the work, but also an integral part of the

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Example 1B. K. 466 piano concerto, m. 1-3

Example 2. Prague Symphony, cello, m. 20-28

first movement's background structure. We next find the music building tension over an A pedal
point from m. 28 to 36. In this passage, we see chromatic rises in the first oboe and first bassoon
in m. 29 and 31 (Ex. 3). This rise is then answered by a chromatic descent from the first flute,

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Example 3. Prague Symphony, oboe and bassoon, m. 28-31

first violins, and first oboe in measure 34. Afterwards, the music reaches a half cadence in
measure 36 within the context of the work's parallel minor key (Ex. 4).
Example 4. Prague Symphony, m. 33-36

My claim is that it important to note the presentation of these chromatic segments

because they are the musical materials which are most developed over the course of the work. In
fact, there are many theorists and musicologists who have taken note of the extensive use of

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chromaticism in western art music. For example, Henry Burnett and Roy Nitzberg have
articulated a unifying theory of chromaticism by expressing the following statement:
Any tonal or modal composition past the middle of the sixteenth century will seek to
unfold both a chromatic and a diatonic octave from the final or tonic of the mode or key
over the course of the composition.11
Edward Green has noticed and written about the idea of a chromatic completion being used to
emphasize important aspects of the text in Mozart's late choral works. 12 Similarly to Burnett, he
states that a kind of chromatic saturation occurs when a composer has allowed each of these
[twelve pitches] to appear at least once.13 My theory is not nearly as extensive or elaborate as
either of these arguments, and is only intended to express the idea of Mozart using the chromatic
scale as a developmental tool.
It is in measure 37 that the exciting Allegro begins and launches the work into its now
famous rhythms and harmonies (Ex. 5). Daniel E. Freeman claims that the first movement of
Mozart's K. 504 maintains the basic standards of sonata form. 14 Although I agree with this
statement in that the first movement was composed using some kind of sonata procedure, I feel
as though it is necessary to discuss some of the unique divergences this work takes in
comparison to the symphonies which preceded it. As we get further into the movement, I will
discuss my theories concerning the construction of the exposition. The first theme, rich in
contrapuntally exploitable motives, begins with a syncopated figure in the first violins. In his
Sonata Forms, Rosen discusses the fact that the motivic structure of the primary theme is
11 Burnett, Henry, and Roy Nitzberg. Composition, Chromaticism, and the Developmental Process (Burlington:
Ashgate Publishing Company, 2007), 10.
12 Edward Green, The Principle of Chromatic Saturation in the Late Choral Music of Mozart and Haydn, The
Choral Journal 12 (2006): 35.
13 Green, 35.
14 Daniel E. Freeman, Mozart in Prague (Minneapolis: Bearclaw Publishers, 2013), 245.

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Example 5. Prague Symphony, m. 37-46

complex and required sketches on the part of the composer. 15 Sisman notes that this syncopated
gesture is organically derived and extrapolated from the work's slow introduction. 16 The
implications of this are numerous, but I would like to point out the idea that this extrapolation of
a motive from the very beginning of the work implies a near-immediate development of musical
material. In other words, Mozart did not have to wait until the development section to develop
his ideas. As a composer, he was free from those kinds of intellectual restrictions and indeed
developed his musical ideas as soon as they were in place. To further her claims about the
Prague symphony having close ties to the piano concerto genre, Sisman further compares the
syncopated figure in measure 37 of K. 504 to that of the syncopated gesture found in the opening
15 Rosen, 201.
16 Sisman, 45.

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measures of the D-minor piano concerto (compare Ex. 5 and 1B). 17 While this is a fair
comparison to make (the similarities in the motives are unmistakable, after all), I want to delve a
little deeper into the ideas of what makes this piece so unique.
After the initial period beginning in measure 37, a counterstatement is presented in
measure 45 with additional scoring for horns and oboes. What follows is what I would call a
bridge transition. As Professor Sisman points out in her article, the following section (m. 51 to
70) is made up of a variety of contrasting topics. What is most incredible about this bridge
transition is that it achieves an intense musical interest while using only notes diatonic to the key
of D-major. In this way, Mozart is developing not only motivic materials but also showing off his
ability to use contrasting topics to generate excitement. After an exhilarating orchestral tutti
passage in m. 69 and 70 directs the harmony into a half cadence, we find that the work simply
continues in the key area of the dominant. It is the passage in measure 71 that Sisman labels the
bridge transition (Ex. 6).18 I disagree, and would instead call this passage the beginning of the
second key area. Although Mozart decided to use the first theme again, m. 71 to 77 form a
complete period in the key of the dominant which signals an arrival to V as a stable key area. In
any case, what interests me most about this passage is the E found in the second violins in
measure 72. Because of this chromatic alteration, a first-inversion A-augmented chord is
formed. Although it would be impossible for me to claim that Mozart had never previously used
an augmented triad in this manner without analyzing his complete works, it certainly strikes the
ear as an uncommon harmony within the context of an otherwise entirely galant style. Having
that said, I believe the chromatic trichord E-F-G is of more importance than this unexpected

17 Sisman, 47.
18 Sisman, 61.

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Example 6. Prague Symphony, m. 71-76

sonority. Theorist Allen Forte has also noticed the composer's use of small chromatic segments in
his article Generative Chromaticism in Mozart's Music: The Rondo in A Minor, K. 511.19 As was
discussed earlier, my theory is that this rising half step motion is dictated by Mozart's decisive
use of the chromatic scale, a concept which will become even more apparent in the development
section. Of course, I am not the only one who has noticed this seemingly out of place E . Rosen
points out the offending note and attributes its unstable quality to the restless nature of the
work.20 Sisman takes note of the altered harmony as well, but does not have anything to say on
the topic.21
19 Allen Forte, Generative Chromaticism in Mozart's Music: The Rondo in A Minor, K. 511, The Musical
Quarterly 66 (1980): 460.
20 Rosen, 221.
21 Sisman, 57.

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Following this stable period in V is a contrapuntally rich transition beginning in measure
77 and lasting until the third beat of measure 96 in which a second stable key area in A-major is
presented. In this next part of the structure, Mozart charms his audience with a lyrical melody
delicately orchestrated in the first violins. Rosen tells us that this secondary theme is ternary in
form and that its mode alternates between major and minor with the onset of each subsequent
period.22 After these three periods of orchestrally varied music come to a close, the contrasting
topics from the bridge transition return in order to drive the piece to a closing period beginning
in measure 129 (Ex. 7).
Example 7. Prague Symphony, m. 129-132

22 Rosen, 222.

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Oddly enough, the principal theme from the beginning of the work is used to close the
exposition, which ends on a definitive cadence in the key of A-major on the downbeat of
measure 142. Rosen draws attention to the fact that each appearance of the principal theme
demands some kind of change.23 The first variation was the introduction a chromatic alteration in
measure 72, and the change in measure 129 is the dynamic level and scoring. Until this point in
the work, the principal theme has never been presented in such a bombastic and victorious
manner. It is because of this double reemergence of the primary theme that theorists speculate
that Mozart had ritornello form in mind while composing the Prague symphony. Sisman asserts
that Mozart was using a ritornello-like return of the primary theme as a sort of structural
topic.24 However, I would argue that the form is based on his piano concertos as is evidenced
not only by the structure of the symphony but also the way in which K. 466 seemed to have
influenced the opening of this work. The concertos use a modular structure in which topics are
interchangeable and are almost always reordered throughout the work so that the different
phrases and tutti sections end up fulfilling the different functions of sonata structure later on in
the movement.25 This theory is in opposition to the belief that his piano concertos were written in
ritornello form. Therefore, I propose that Mozart used a similar process of using modular topics
and themes in the first movement of K. 504 and that it is still inherently based on traditional
sonata principles.
Zaslaw informs us that for passages in the development section where the action consists
of modulation rather than thematic manipulation, nothing appears in the sketch but a figured
bass.26 With this in mind, it seems apparent that Mozart was more interested in harmonic
23
24
25
26

Rosen, 223.
Sisman, 67.
John Irving, Mozart's Piano Concertos (Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2003), 41.
Zaslaw, 419.

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development than thematic or motivic transformation in the development section beginning in
measure 143. The section begins with a delightful passage making use of imitative counterpoint.
This stable period of music cadences in A-major on the downbeat of measure 150, and is
followed by an almost complete period in D-major. This passage is interrupted by an unexpected
switch of harmony to B-minor in measure 156 which launches the musical narrative into an
exciting set of sequential passages starting with F -minor and ending on a D-major sonority. As a
means of working even more excitement into the piece by setting up a false recapitulation,
Mozart once again uses the rhythmic topics from the exposition's bridge transition in order to
shift the harmony to A-major in measure 189. After this false recapitulation, an A pedal point is
heard in the cellos from m. 195 to 207, signaling the return to the true tonic and recapitulation of
the movement. As a way of letting his listeners in on his compositional craft, the composer once
again allows the principal theme to be transformed with the very same augmented harmony from
its second iteration in the exposition (Ex. 8). While I found this moment to be particularly
poignant and informative about Mozart's process as a composer, neither Rosen nor Sisman
observed (or found it important to discuss) this post-development variation on the principal
theme. However, Sisman does make an excellent point about the work's overall formal structure
and how it is expanded by using counterpoint instead of melodic writing. 27 Rosen makes a
similar statement in his book about the work's form by expressing an idea in which the motif
articulates structure, emphasizes the most crucial points, and the structure reinterprets the
motif.28 Mozart's craft as a composer is displayed in this work by his ability to give his motives
and various topics multiple functions, even in the development section.

27 Sisman, 67.
28 Rosen, 224.

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Example 8. Prague Symphony, m. 208-212

III. So What?
Now that a basic understanding of the form and style of the piece have been established,
let us take a closer look at the development section. Below is an outline of the main harmonic
areas in this part of the work. For reference, uppercase letters represent major chords, lowercase
letters represent minor chords, and bracketed harmonies indicate a sequence.

Harmonic Plan: A D b [f e d] [G a b] D A D

What we find in the development section is that Mozart, by means of contrapuntal passages and
sequencing, has harmonized a complete chromatic rise from A to D from m. 143 to 198. He

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then initiates a rapid chromatic descent from D to E in the first violins from m. 199 to 208 at
the return of the principal theme (Ex. 9).
Example 9A. Prague Symphony, m. 199-203

A final diatonic step from E to D is what reins the piece in as a means of staying within the
practices of conventional tonality. I believe that these chromatic ascents and descents are
extrapolated from the symphony's slow introduction, and that they essentially govern the
harmonic plan of the development section. I further assert that Mozart's use of the augmented
triad in the recapitulation is a confirmation of this theory, as it results in the formation of yet
another chromatic segment as a consequence of voice leading. It is as though the chromatic has
overcome the diatonic in this passage, which suggests that the chromatic half step motion is a

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Example 9B. Prague Symphony, m. 204-208

stronger element in this movement. In a way, I am building upon the theories of Heinrich
Schenker who claims that a motion from V to I is both a harmonic and contrapuntal occurrence. 29
Since the progression I V I necessitates a certain amount fleshing out in order to function as a
complex piece of art music, it is only natural that diatonic steps from I to V and V to I would
have to fulfill this role. My theory only adds the concept of chromaticism to this departure from
and return to the tonic by means of using the chromatic scale as a motif for development.
Analyzing certain works while keeping the chromatic scale in mind can allow us to gain a
deeper insight into the inner workings of certain compositions that deal with heavy chromatic
29 Edward Aldwell and Carl Schachter, Harmony and Voice Leading (Belmont: Wadsworth Group, 2003), 84.

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elements. Because of their highly chromatic nature, the Mozart piano concertos and early piano
concertos of Beethoven would make an excellent study for this theory. Additionally, having a
deeper understanding of the compositional process used to create the Prague Symphony may
help scholars finally answer the question of why Mozart wrote the work to begin with.

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London, 1956.

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