First, what is a symphony? Again, think of it as a mini album written in a common key, typically containing 4 tracks alternating in mood and speed (ex. medium fast song, slow song, really fast song, medium song). Also, a symphony is for a full orchestra and band, so there will be both string and brass instruments. If you were ever in orchestra or band, that one concert a year where the two collaborated probably involved playing a symphony, and very likely one of the two below.
We will start with Mozart, since he came earlier of the two. Mozart was a true child prodigy, and extremely talented. Unfortunately, he ran into money troubles later on in life and was buried penniless in a common grave. The symphony No. 40 is referred to as "The Great G-Minor symphony" and was composed in that latter half of his life. Critics say the piece exhibits emotions of sadness, passion, and grief.
To recap last post's lesson here is the naming convention for the piece in layman's terms:
Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K550 - Movement 1 Allegro
Name decipher: Name of album, catalog ID, track number, description of the track in terms of speed
Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, 1st Movement - Allegro, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Beethoven was another child prodigy who was exploited by his father at a young age to make money off of his talents. He was arguably abused emotionally and physically to practice the piano as a child, suffered many breakups, and started losing his hearing at 26, all of which led to a certain element of rage in some of his pieces. Below is a classic example with a theme commonly heard in all genre's of music, movies, and tv shows.
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op.67 1st Movement - Allegro con Brio
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