The Classical Music Minute

Eine kleine Nachtmusik: A Little Light Entertainment

February 27, 2023 Steven Hobé, Composer & Host Season 1 Episode 104
The Classical Music Minute
Eine kleine Nachtmusik: A Little Light Entertainment
Show Notes Transcript

Description
Eine kleine Nachtmusik or “A Little Night Music” aka Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K 525, is admired for its lively, joyful quality and memorable melodies. Take a minute to get the scoop!

Fun Fact
The four-movement work opens with a bright allegro in sonata form, and a slow, lyrical second movement follows. The third movement is a light minuet, and the finale is a brisk rondo. Originally, the piece contained a second minuet, but that movement has been lost. The specific occasion, if any, for which Eine kleine Nachtmusik was composed has never been determined.

About Steven, Host
Steven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.
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Eine kleine Nachtmusik or “A Little Night Music” aka Serenade No. 13 in G Major, K 525, is known for its lively and memorable melodies. 

The term serenade by the late 18th century was used broadly to describe a chamber work intended for light entertainment on a social occasion. They were quite popular in Europe, particularly in Vienna, where Mozart spent the last decade of his life. 

At that time, it was customary for ensembles to perform serenades in Vienna’s parks and gardens, and the creation of such pieces became a lucrative source of income for composers.

This serenade was completed in Vienna on 10 August 1787, around the time Mozart was working on the second act of his opera Don Giovanni, but it was not published until about 1827, sold by Mozart's widow Constanze.

This 13th serenade of Mozart’s is certainly his best known. In the late 20th century, it figured prominently the movie Amadeus, where the character of composer Antonio Salieri laments that he himself had not created the work.