TITLE: Divertimento No. 3 in Eb major, K. 159d (1773)

• Former Title: Divertimento in Eb major, K.166

COMPOSER: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

There were seven children born to Leopold Mozart and Maria Anna Pertl, however, only two survived, one being Wolfgang Gottlieb. The day after his birth, he was christened Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus. His father, Leopold, was not only a gifted violinist, keyboard and organ player, he was also quite famous as a music pedagogue in Austria and Europe. Leopold was very involved with his children's upbringing and success in music. He educated his children at home. Mozart was a child prodigy composing and performing in public prior to his seventh birthday. He toured Europe, with his father, throughout his childhood. In 1773, these prodigious tours with his father concluded. It was also the year that Mozart composed seven symphonies and several divertimenti, including Divertimento in Eb.

MOVEMENTS: Four

1. Allegro
2. Menuetto
3. Andante
4. Adagio, Allegro

PERFORMANCE TIME: 22' 18"

INSTRUMENTATION: 10 Instruments

• 2 Oboes, 2 English Horns, 2 Bb Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 2 Horns

EDITIONS: Available for Purchase

1. C.F. Peters Corporation
2. Kalmus Editions

COMPOSITION SKETCH AND MUSICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The Divertimento No. 3 in Eb, K. 159d, contains four movements and shows Mozart's complete understanding of the compositional conventions of the time. In addition, certain aspects of this divertimento exemplify the influence of Italian opera which Mozart would have been exposed to during his stay in Milan, prior to his composing this work. However, Mozart was also in Naples during this time and there is debate to where specifically Mozart composed this divertimento. The third movement resembles an operatic aria. The melodic figure appears first, in the doubling of the oboe with the English horn octaves, and is later harmonized in the horns. The trio section of the Menuetto features a duet between the two English horns, a mainstay of Mozart's later operatic writing.

SELECTED RECORDINGS:

RELATED WEBSITES:

Mozart Page - http://www.w-a-mozart.com/

Mozart Biography - http://www.sciortino.net/wambiog.html

Mozart Midi File Page - http://midiworld.com/cmc/mozart.html

Mozart's Music - http://mozart.composers.net/html/music.html