Extended Anacruses in Mozart's Instrumental Music

Abstract

The expressive impact of a melodic entrance has much to do with the way in which the beginning of the melody is aligned with the meter.1 There are two possibilities. A melody may begin on a downbeat {downbeat melody) or it may begin on a weak beat of the measure (anacrustic melody). Downbeat melodies are often heard as strong and assertive; anacrustic melodies are typically softer in character and evoke a sense of lightness. The contrast between these two types is an important source of musical drama in Mozart's instrumental music. Although downbeat melodies allow only one relationship between the melody and meter, there is a wide range of possibilities with anacrustic melodies. This variety in rhythmic relationships between a melody and its metrical organization is a compositional resource that Mozart drew upon in his Viennese period, and his exploration of the full range of possibilities greatly expanded the expressive potential of his melodic writing. Particularly rich sources of these anacruses are his piano concerti beginning with K. 414 (1782). Perhaps the best-known example, however, is the opening melody of his Symphony in G Minor, K. 550 (1788), shown in Example 1. In this article I examine Mozart's use of anacruses of a measure or more in

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