Serenade No. 13 in G Major

The rise and fall of a declamatory violin melody melts into the sonorous embrace of the string orchestra, before a grumbling bass line urges the music back to its original theme. Alongside the “da-da-da-dum” of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony and the nine-note motif that characterises his piano piece “Für Elise”, the stirring opening to Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik is one of the most famous excerpts of classical music ever written. Directly translated, its title means “a little night music”, but the work is closer in style to a serenade than a nocturne. Composed in 1787, Eine kleine Nachtmusik would have historically been enjoyed by aristocratic families who could employ small ensembles—in this case, a string orchestra—to entertain the household. The four-movement work follows a typically Mozartian format: After the quick-paced opening comes the “Romanze',' a slow section with simple and exquisite melodies. The shorter third movement is a minuet (“Menuetto”)—a dance that was popular at the time—with sprightly violin solos. The concluding “Rondo” invokes the opening call of the first movement: As the kaleidoscopic upper melodies twist and turn into variants of the original theme, Mozart uncorks a particularly frothy bottle of champagne—the music explodes into joyful exuberance.