Symphony No. 35 in D major,
K. 385, “Haffner”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Composed in July-August 1782.
Premiered publicly on March 23, 1783 in Vienna.

By the summer of 1782, Mozart had been living in Vienna
for a full year and was making some headway in his career
and in his personal life. Though he had more than a drop of
the roustabout in his blood, he was preparing to undertake
a marriage in August with Constanze Weber, his second
choice after Constanze’s sister, Aloysia, became unavailable. His music was becoming known, and a steady stream of commissions was coming his way. Through his concerts, for which he wrote his own concertos, he was gaining a sound reputation as a splendid pianist. In July, he was fi nishing The Abduction from the Seraglio and getting the production on the boards, as well as working on the C minor Serenade (K. 388). At the end of the month, an urgent letter arrived from his father, Leopold, in Salzburg. It told Wolfgang that the Salzburg Burgomaster [mayor] Siegmund Haffner was being elevated to the nobility, and would not think of celebrating such an important occasion without a grand party highlighted by a new composition from that distinguished son of Salzburg, the young Mozart off seeking his fortune in Vienna. The Burgomaster knew what he was ordering — Mozart had provided the splendid “Haffner” Serenade (K. 250) for the wedding of Siegmund’s daughter, Elizabeth, in 1776. Mozart was reluctant to accept the proposal because of his crowded schedule, but he realized that a request from such an important person was not to be taken lightly, and he agreed. Over the next two weeks, the six movements of the commissioned work — another serenade — were sent to Salzburg. The last movement to be completed was an introductory march which was posted on August 1st, only three days before his marriage to Constanze. Despite the haste with which he wrote the piece, Mozart was determined to provide Burgomaster Haffner with his best work. “I just will not smear down any old notes on the paper,” he vowed. Mozart, it seemed, was constitutionally incapable of writing bad music.

Early the following year, Mozart was organizing a concert and needed a new symphony for the program. He recalled the second serenade he had composed for Burgomaster Haffner, and wrote to his father asking him to send a copy of the work. The piece had been written so quickly the preceding summer that, on seeing the score again, Mozart wrote, “It was a complete surprise to me. I had completely forgotten what it was like — this should really make a good effect.” The opening march (K. 408, No. 2) and a second minuet (perhaps K. 409) were not needed and were jettisoned to produce the four-movement “Haffner” Symphony which has always borne the name of its patron. To enhance the work’s “good effect” Mozart added fl utes and clarinets to the scoring. It all worked splendidly, and the Symphony was a great success at the concert on March 23, 1783. The Emperor himself attended, and Mozart proudly noted the monarch’s “loud applause” and “boundless enthusiasm” for the music.

The majestic opening movement owes as much to Handel as to Haydn, and is excellently suited to the grand occasion for which it was conceived. The exposition contains only a single theme rather than the contrasting melodies usually found in similar movements, and most commentators attribute this technique to Haydn’s infl uence, though his treatment of it is considerably different from that of Mozart. Saint-Foix, in his study of Mozart’s symphonies, led in the right direction when he wrote of the movement’s “archaic style spiced with harmonic tang,” because it is the ceremonial music of Handel (Water Music, Royal Fireworks Music) that is here the dominant influence. Mozart was introduced to the music of Handel and Bach by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, the Habsburg Court librarian, and the composer was deeply influenced by these Baroque asters. Not only did he study their scores, but he also re-orchestrated some of their works (including Messiah) and conducted numerous performances of their vocal and instrumental music. The legacy he inherited from Bach and Handel is evident in the contrapuntal ingenuity and singularity of mood of this movement.

The intimate second movement, a delicate sonatina (sonata-allegro without development section) in Mozart’s most
elegant style, presents a charming contrast to the extroverted
bustle of the first movement. The following Menuetto treads
a stately strain, with a Trio that bears some resemblance to
an air from Mozart’s opera La fi nta giardiniera, composed
for the Munich carnival season of 1775. The finale, which
Mozart instructed should go “as fast as possible,” begins
with a vigorous theme that recalls Osmin’s aria “Ha! Wie will
ich triumphieren” (“Ah! I shall be triumphant”) from The
Abduction from the Seraglio, an opera that was mounted
just at the time that this Symphony was composed. The
feelings expressed by Osmin — that he had every intention of
succeeding — may have been the independent-minded young
composer’s subtle message to the Salzburg that he had recently escaped. The form of the finale is a rollicking sonata-rondo (the influence of Haydn is apparent here) whose music makes understandable the enthusiastic response of Emperor Joseph at the premiere of this marvelous Symphony.

Notes by Dr. Richard E. Rodda