Piano Concerto No. 13 (Mozart)
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The Piano Concerto No.13 in C major, K. 415 (387b) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1782–83.
It consists of three movements:
- Allegro, in C major and common (C) time
- Andante, in F major and 3/4 time
- Allegro, in C major and 6/8 time
These terms are explained in the article tempo where not otherwise specified.
The first movement . . . is a type of alla marcia which advances in canonic imitations. Tranquil at first, it augments little by little and develops into the same kind of triplet motive which marks the opening of the Jupiter Symphony. Thus this concerto, which has been neglected and ignored for so long, contains from its first notes elements of grandeur and dramatic power.
The Andante is a tender and lyrical dialogue between the soloist and the strings, the latter supported from time to time by oboes, bassoons, and horns. Mozart seems to have originally intended, judging from sketches (Girdlestone, Mozart and his Piano Concertos) a C minor slow movement for this concerto - perhaps he judged it not appropriate for the mood of the work.
But above all it is the Finale, a frolicsome dance in 6/8, which deserves our fullest attention. A letter of Mozart to his father from Vienna, January 22, 1783, throws much more penetrating and informative light on the subject: 'I shall send the cadenzas and eingänge (short extemporized lead-ins), to my dear sister at the first opportunity. I have not yet altered the eingänge in the rondo, for whenever I play this concerto, I always play whatever occurs to me at the moment."
The use of cadenzas at the end of each movement is still common today, while the small fermatas, upon which we come unexpectedly here and there, and most significantly at the eingange , which twice announce the approach of the sublime adagio in C minor, have been virtually ignored since the performances by Mozart himself or by the musicians of his time. At the end of the rondo, Mozart introduces a popular folksong, ingratiating and fresh in mood, against the murmurings of the strings.
| Piano Concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
|---|
| Childhood Arrangements: | No. 1 F Major K. 37 | No. 2 B flat Major K. 39 | No. 3 D Major K. 40 | No. 4 G Major K. 41 |
| Salzburg Concertos: No. 5 D Major K. 175 | No. 6 B flat Major K. 238 | No. 8 C Major K. 246 | No. 9 E flat Major K. 271 "Jeunehomme" |
| Concertos for Multiple Pianos: No. 7 F Major K. 242 for 3 pianos | No. 10 E flat Major K. 365 for 2 pianos |
| Early Vienna Concertos: No. 11 F Major K. 413 | No. 12 A Major K. 414 | No. 13 C Major K. 415 |
| Major Vienna Concertos: No. 14 E flat Major K. 449 | No. 15 B flat Major K. 450 | No. 16 D Major K. 451 | No. 17 G Major K. 453 | No. 18 B flat Major K. 456 | No. 19 D Major K. 459 | No. 20 D Minor K. 466 | No. 21 C Major K. 467 | No. 22 E flat Major K. 482 | No. 23 A Major K. 488 | No. 24 C Minor K. 492 | No. 25 C Major K. 503 |
| Later Concertos: No. 26 D Major K. 537 "Coronation" | No. 27 B flat Major K. 595 |
