Key G major Composed 1775 (1775) | Catalogue K. 216 Scoring Violin
orchestra | |
Movements Three (Allegro, Adagio, Presto) | ||
The Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K. 216, was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Salzburg in 1775. Mozart was only 19 at the time.
Contents
Instrumentation
Solo violin, two violins, viola, cello, double bass, two horns, two oboes (except second movement), two flutes (only at the second movement)
Movements
The piece is in three movements:
- Allegro
- Adagio
- Rondeau. Allegro
The Allegro is in sonata form, opening with a G major theme, played by the orchestra. The main theme is a bright and happy discussion between the solo violin and the accompaniment, followed by a modulation to the dominant D major, then its parallel key D minor. It experiments in other keys but does not settle and eventually heads back to the tonic, G major, in the recapitulation.
II. Adagio
The second movement is in ternary form and the dominant key of D major. The orchestra begins with the main theme, which the violin imitates one octave higher. The winds then play a dance-like motif in A major, which the violin concludes by its own. After a conclusion in A, the violin plays the main theme again, remaining in the same key. When it should have sounded A natural, it sounds A sharp, and the melody switches to B minor. It soon modulates back to A major, and to the home key of D major through the main theme. After the cadenza, the violin plays the main theme again, thus concluding the movement in D.
This is the only movement in five violin concertos by Mozart where instead of oboes a pair of flutes are used.
III. Rondeau
The finale is a rondo which commences and concludes in G major and in 3/8 time. Mozart inserts into the rondo a G minor Andante section in cut common time.