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Symphony As Summation
- Mozart packed his last symphony with thematic cohesion, counterpoint, and callbacks to earlier music, making it feel like a summa of the classical symphony.
- He likely wrote it in a short, inspired burst alongside Symphonies 39 and 40, showing extraordinary compositional fluency.
How 'Jupiter' Got Its Name
- The nickname "Jupiter" was not Mozart's and appeared decades after his death, likely from impresario Johann Peter Salomon's promotional habit of naming symphonies.
- The opening's thunderbolt image and a rhythmic trope Mozart used hundreds of times probably inspired the title more than any programmatic intent.
Rhythmic Trope As Unifying Device
- A short rhythmic trope at the opening becomes a recurring calling card that Mozart reuses and manipulates across the movement.
- The power of the movement comes from assembling familiar tropes into dramatic contrasts and momentum.