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Mozart rarely composed with no particular purpose in mind. Generally, his works were written on commission, or for his own concerts, or as gifts for friends. Such transactions were usually cataloged in the composer's letters and writings. However, in this case, the historical record is silent. Music scholars have found no evidence of a commission; no one paid for these symphonies to be written. Perhaps Mozart composed them on speculation, in hopes of selling them or presenting them in a Viennese concert. If so, he was disappointed, for they were not published during his lifetime, and there is no clear evidence of a performance. Nevertheless, the sudden burst of activity does suggest that the composer had some objective in mind, and it now seems that his goal may have been a London tour. As a child, Mozart had spent over a year living in London, absorbing the musical ambience. Even in adulthood in Vienna, he had several close English friends, and since at least 1786, he had spoken of traveling to London to present a concert series. In the event of such a tour, it was customary for composers to bring new works, preferably a set of three or six symphonies. Haydn did exactly that when he came to London in the 1790s. Scholars now suggest that, several years before Haydn's journey, Mozart wrote these three symphonies while dreaming of a similar excursion, though he never embarked upon the adventure.
Of these three last symphonies, the middle one, the Symphony no. 40, is the best-known. Indeed, it is one of the most familiar of all Mozart's works, its high profile challenged only by such enduring favorites as Eine kleine Nachtmusik and The Marriage of Figaro Overture. Although reasons for popularity are always difficult to determine, one factor in this case may be the choice of key. The symphony was written in the key of g minor, a rare choice for Mozart, who showed a strong preference for cheerier major keys. In fact, of his forty-one symphonies, only two use minor keys; similarly, of twenty-seven piano concertos, all but two use major keys. Given the gloomy days that Mozart was enduring, his selection of a dark and brooding key seems predictable. However, there is more at work here than one man's daily sorrows. At this time in history, German and Austrian composers were increasingly drawn to the "Sturm und Drang" ("Storm and Stress") movement, a school of thought that also affected artists and writers. They began to compose music that was the audible expression of angst. Haydn wrote "Sturm und Drang" symphonies, frequently in the key of g minor. So did the London-based Johann Christian Bach, who had strongly influenced the pre-teen Mozart. In this atmosphere, it is no surprise that Mozart, too, turned, at least occasionally, to minor keys. The Symphony no. 40 proves to us that this man whose music could so easily provoke our delight could also bring forth tears.