The classical first movement

Year Published: 1960

Description: To begin a series on the symphony, states Professor Woodworth, one must start at the beginning, with the first movement of the piece. In the classical symphony, the first movement introduces all the musical elements which will be present throughout the four movements of the work. Using the first movement of Mozart's 34th Symphony as an example, Professor Woodworth explains the musical concepts of exposition, recapitulation and coda. He ends by remarking, "A symphony is a structure of sounds in motion in time. It conveys no specific ideas other than musical ideas."