by Jack Bryce
board member and
The Bratislava Wind Octet performs in the recording below:
I hate to admit this, but music for winds really does tend to be ever so cheery, and frequently dwells happily amid both the shallow and the mindless. But Mozart’s Serenade #12 in C minor, K. 388, (July 1782 or late in 1783) is the ultimate cure for any tendency towards woodwind frivolity. We do not know exactly when or for whom it was written, but it’s a glorious masterpiece, that’s for sure. Though serenades in general were written as backgrounds for entertainments, often in five or six movements, this one has precisely the form of a symphony in four movements. The first, Allegro, begins with a stern minor theme, but the second theme is major and very sweet. The short development is adventurous and intriguing, and the conclusion stirring. The second movement, Andante, is a delightful waltz-like journey through spring meadows and over rippling streams. In the Minuet we hear a virtuoso display of Mozart’s contrapuntal talent, with normal canons in the first, minor sections; and then in the four part second section, which is in the major mode, a double canon for oboes and bassoons with the two parts of each playing in contrary motion. The Allegro finale has a theme and eight variations, starting in the minor mode. After a delightful, major interlude, the piece seems to return to minor with a spectacular bassoon variation; but the minor is shortlived, and there is a terrific outburst of jollity to conclude.