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AUTHOR:HelmutBreidensteinFRONTPAGE
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LITERATURE
Mynewpublication:

MOZARTSTEMPOSYSTEM.EinHandbuchfrdieprofessionellePraxis
(Mozart'stemposystem.Ahandbookforprofessionalpractice)
PublisherHansSchneider/Tutzing,December2011
380pages,DINA4,392musicexamples.Hardback,ISBN:978386296028685,Euro

"MozartsTempoIndications:Whatdotheyreferto?"
(Translation:LindsayChalmersGerbrachtandtheauthor)
>Agermanversionofthisarticlewasfirstpublishedin"DasOrchester"vol.52,no.3,p.1722Mainz,2004.
Title:"WoraufbeziehensichMozartsTempobezeichnungen?"<
KEYWORDS:meter,notevalues,tempo,beat,compound6/8,temposystem,mannerofplaying,Kirnberger,Schulz,Koch.
ABSTRACT:NearlythreequartersofMozarts"tempoindications"donotrefertothebeat.Inlate18thcenturytempo
meansmorethanspeed:themovementisdefinedbyacombinationofmeter,smallestnotevaluesandtempoword,a
moduledefiningspeed,accentuation,articulation,agogics,mannerofplayingandcharacter.Lostknowledgeofthe
compoundmetersisonereasonfortheallegedinconsistencyofMozartstempoindications.Athoroughcomparisionofhis
1.435autographindicationswillclarifytheorderandcharacteristicsofMozartstempiandexplainthelogicinhistempo
system.
**********************
MozartsTempoIndications:Whatdotheyreferto?
(pleaseklickonthemarkedfiguresinsoftbracketsinordertogettothefootnotes,thankyou)
ThereareprobablyfewperformersofMozartwhohavenotaskedthemselvesthisquestionsometime.DoMozartstempo
indicationsrefertoeighthnotes,quarternotesorhalfmeasures?Manyholdtheopinionthat"theonlysensibleansweris:
theyrefertothebeat"(1).Letusexaminethisquestionwiththeaidofseveralexamples.
AsMozartcomposedhisworkspriortotheinventionofthemetronomebyMaelzelandtherearegoodhistoricaland
stylisticalreasonsforthiswehavethechancetoconsiderhowhistempoindicationsaretobeunderstoodwithoutthe
supportoftechnicaldevices.Ifoneexamineshisautographsclosely,therearemorethanahandfulofexampleswhich
demonstratehowseriouslyMozarttookthismatterandhowonoccasionhewrestledwiththeproblemofprecisely
expressinghisconceptionofspeed,accentuationandexecution.
Forexample,inthe1stmovementofthePosthornSerenade,K.320,measure7,heoriginallywroteAllegro,thenprefixed
thisbyMolto,scoredthisoutandaddedconspirito.IntheRondeau,theoriginalAllegrettowaschangedtoAllegromanon
troppo(dowestillseeadifferencebetweenthesetermstoday?).InthefirstmovementoftheSymphonyinGminor,K.550,
andintheCredooftheCoronationMasshereplacedhisoriginalindicationAllegroassaibyMoltoAllegro.Inthe2nd
movementoftheSymphonyinCmajor,K.338,headdedpitostoAllegrettototheAndantedimoltointheprincipal1st
violinpart(2).Sarastrosaria"IndiesenheilgenHallen"wasoriginallymarkedAndantinosostenutobeforehechangedthis
intoLarghetto.The4thmovementoftheStringQuartetinDminor,K.421,bestdemonstrateshisstrugglestofindthemost
accuratetempoindication:hescoredouthisoriginalAllegrettoandsubstitutedAndante.Helatercrossedthisoutagainand
wrotetheformerAllegrettounderneath.Evenlater,headdedtheindicationmnontroppoinalightershadeofink!Whatfine
nuancesandtherearenumeroussimilarexamples.

nuancesandtherearenumeroussimilarexamples.
ThefrequentlyexpressedopinionthatMozartstempowordswerenomorethananindicationofamovementscharacter
andthat"Mozarthadnosystemofindication"(3)ishencenotveryconvincing.Ontheonehandhemadefunofthe
occasionalquibblingwhenhewrote"Allegrettograzioso,manontroppopresto,pernontroppoadagio.Coscosconmolto
garboedespressione"(4).Ontheotherhand,hehadarangeofover300modulesconsistingoftempoword+meter+
smallestnotevalueathisfingertipstodescribewhatatthetimewastermedBewegung(movement)orMouvement.His
autographscontain19differentmodificationsforAllegro,17forAndante,6forAllegretto,4forAdagio,5forAndantino,3for
Prestoand4forMenuett,respectivelyTempodiMenuettomoreovertherearemarcia,Moderato,Largo,Larghetto,
Maestoso,Vivace,GraziosoandCantabileandsomegermanindicationsforhisLieder.(Mozart'sautographverbaltempo
indications)
Hissecondortobemorepreciseratherhisfirstmeansforindicatingthetempowasthemeterweshallseehow.He
uses:2/4,3/4,4/43/8,6/8and12/8.(5)InadditiontothesetherearetypesofmeterwhichIwouldliketoterm"virtual"
asthetimesignaturedoesnotrevealthem.Theyplayaspecialandsometimesconfusingrole.Thisincludesthe4/8
timewhichMozart(likeHaydnandBeethoven)alwaysnotatedas2/4andthesimilarlyunknownvariantof6/8time,which
actuallyconsistsoftwocombined3/8measures.Afurtherspeciesexistsin3/4time,as:"inthreefourtimethereisa
distinctionbetweenlightandheavythreefourtime.[...]Inheavythreefourtime,inwhichsixteenthandoftenthirtysecond
notesarefrequent,onecountsineighthnotes"(FriedrichWilhelmMarpurg1763).Furtherdiscussiononthese"virtual"
meterswillfollowbelow.
Onthesubjectofautographrecords,itmustbementionedthattempoindicationsnotbyMozarthimselfareunfortunately
notalwaysindicatedbycursivescriptorfootnotesintheNewMozartEdition(6).Thecompleteworkscontainatotalof
2,569movements(andpartsofmovements)withindividualtempoindicationoutofwhich1,029movementseitherhaveno
tempotermsatallormarkingsnotbyMozart,veryoftenbyanonymousauthorsandfrequentlynotevenfromMozartstime.
Only1,435oftheItaliantempoindicationsareMozartsownandcanbeusedasabasisforthoughtsaboutwhathemeant
bythem.
Whatdothesetempowordsreferto?Iftheansweris"tothebeat",itmustbeexplainedwhatthismeans:isthe"beat"the
denominatoroftherespectivetimesignature?Obviouslynot:inanAdagio4/4wedonotcountquarternotesbuteighth
notes(however,notinanadagiotempobutataspeedapproximatelycorrespondingtothequarternotesofa4/4Allegretto
tempo).InanAllegro3/8however,wecountdottedquarternotesatthesamespeed.Afastisbeateninslowhalfnotes,a
slowinfluentquarternotes(7).Beatsarenothingmorethanaidstoperformancepracticeandareonlycorrelatedtoa
certainextentwiththetempowords.Whatinturndothesereferto?
Thisisrelativelysimpleinthecaseof"normal"classical4/4time(containing16thnotes),the"archetypeofmodernmeter"
(W.Seidel),forwhichtheItaliantempotermsaretailormade(8).AnAndante"walks"inquarternotes(howeverfastorslow:
atopiconitsown!),anAllegromakesthequarternotes"cheerful",i.e.faster,anAllegrettomakesthemalittle,anAllegro
assaimuchfaster.Thisappearstobefairlysimple,evenifitisinsufficientforadefinitionoftempoinmodernunderstanding
duetothevaguenessoftheexpressions.
Moreproblematicandtheinitialmotiveforthisinvestigationaretheothermeters,particularly6/8,whichIwouldliketo
takeasanexampleforourresearch.Inthiscase,theexistingalternativebetweenareferenceofthesametempotermto
eithereighthnotesordottedquarternotesleadstoadifferenceinspeedof300%.Letustakealookatthefollowing
examples:
a.Ontheonehand,Andante6/8,ModelPaminaAria
1."Ach,ichfhls,esistverschwunden",PaminasGminorariaNo.17inDieZauberflte
2.the2ndmovementofthePianoTrioinGmajor,K.496
ex.1:DieZauberflte,no17+ex.2:K.496,II
3.the2ndmovementoftheGminorSymphonyK.550
4.the2ndmovementofthe"Linz"Symphony,K.425
5.theAminorRondoforPianoK.511
6."Perquestabellamano",1stpartoftheariaforbassanddoublebass,KV612
b.Ontheotherhand,Andante6/8,Model"Pace,pace"
1."Pace,pace,miodolcetesoro",measure275in4thFinaleofFigaro
2."Unadonnaaquindicianni",DespinasAriaNo.19inCosifantutte
3."Vostredunquesaranquestecarte",measure605in2ndFinaleofFigaro
ex.3:Figaro,"Pace,pace",m.275+ex.4:Cosifantutte,no19
c.ThirdlytheAndante6/8,Model"Prague"Symphony
1."Prague"Symphony,K.504,2ndmovement
2."OhEnglnder",2ndsectionoftheDuetOsminandBlonde,Entfhrung,No.9
ex.5:K.504,II+ex.6:Entfhrung,no9
3.the"Incarnatusest"fromtheCredoMassK.257
4.StringQuartetinDminor,K.421,2ndmovement

4.StringQuartetinDminor,K.421,2ndmovement
5.TrioinEbmajor("KegelstattTrio")forPiano,ClarinetandViola,K.498,1stmovement
6."Paris"Symphony,K.297,2ndmovement(originally"Andantino")
7.StringQuartetinFmajor,K.590,2ndmovement(alteredinthefirsteditionto"Allegretto")
Whichofthesecouldweunderstandas"Andante6/8":theslow(andusuallytooslow)tempoofthePaminaariaandthe
PianotrioK.496ortheobviouslylessslowtempoofFigaros"Pace,pace"andthe(oftentoofast)Despinaaria?Andhow
canthePragueandParisandsymphonies,Osmins"OhEnglnder"andthecitedchamberworksbeclassified?
For200yearsnow,peoplehavebeenrackingtheirbrainsoverthisandhavenotalwayskeptcloseenoughtothesubject
athand.Andantemeans"walking":Whoiswalking??Theprofessorfromthedesktothebookshelf,orthemusic,a
disembodiedbeing?SincethetimewhenMozartsworkswerenolongerdirectedbythefirstviolinistorfromthekeyboard
(9)aswascustomaryinGermanyduringhislifetimebutwereledinthemodernfashionbyaconductorbeatingtime,
(whichwasintroducedsoonafterMozartsdeath),thereisthequestionastowhatpartofthemeasurethetempotermrefers
to:tothewholenote,halfnote,quarternoteoreighthnote?(10)Thisquestionhasledintodeadendtracks,notonlyinthe
mostrecentspecializedliteraturebutalsoamongperformers.Itwasthewrongonetoaskrightfromthebeginning.Thereis
onlyoneanswer:inmostcasesneithernor!HansGlhadalreadyreferredtothismatterinhisarticle"TheRightTempo"in
1939:"Thesolutionofthewholeriddleisthatthey[Haydn,Mozart,Beethoven,Schubert]hadnottheslightestintentionof
connectingthetempoindicationswiththebeat."InmusicfromtheClassicalperiod,thetimesignatureisnotadirectionfor
conducting.And,althoughGlcamefromVienna,headded:"Ihaverarelymetamusicianwhowasawareofthisfact."
Ifinalltheaboveexampleshalfmeasuresaretakenasthebeat,itbecomesclearthataminimumofthreetotallydifferent
tempimustbeassignedtothetermAndanteifthepiecesaretobeperformedinareasonablemanner.WhataboutMozarts
modificationsforAndante,suchasconmoto,sostenuto,moderato,maestoso,unpocoadagio,cantabile,dimoltoandpi
tostoAllegrettowhydidhenotusethemhere?
Inmyopinion,thesolutionoftheriddleisthattheAndante6/8in"Ach,ichfhls"and"Pace,pace"arewrittenintwo
seeminglyidenticalbuttotallydifferentmeters:onecompound6/8meter,composedoftwo3/8measuresputtogether
(PaminaariaPianotrioK.496)andonesimple6/8whichisbasicallynomorethana2/4meterwitheighthnotetriplets
("Pace,pace").However,therehasbeengreatconfusioninthetermsfromthe18thcenturyuptothepresentday:bythe
term"zusammengesetzteTakte"("compoundmeters")manytheoristshavemeantwhatwasalsocalled"vermischte"
("mixed")meters:i.e.9/8,12/8aswellasour"simple"6/8butactuallytheseshouldbecalled"subdividedmeters"since
theyoriginatefrom3/4,4/4and2/4metersinwhichthequarternotesareeachsubdividedintoeighthnotetriplets.Others
likeKoch,Kirnberger,Schulz,WeberandFinkusetheterm"compound"formeterswhichareindeedcompoundentities
madeupfromtwosmallermeters.Ishallfollowthisconceptasthistermdescribesbestthecharacterofthesemeters
(suchas2/4=2/8+2/86/8=3/8+3/8and4/4=2/4+2/4)whicharesoessentialforanunderstandingofworksfromtheclassical
period(11).Themodel"PragueSymphony"isalsoincompound6/8meter(6/8=3/8+3/8)buthasaslightlyfastertempofor
thereasonthatunlikethePaminaariaandthe2ndmovementofthePianotrioK.496itcontainsnothirtysecondnotes
determiningthetempo.
Asthephenomenonofthe"compound"metersintheabovesenseisbarelymentionedinliteraturefromtheendofthe19th
centuryonwards,(noteveninthemostrecentencyclopaediassuchasthe"NewGrove2001"andthe"MusikinGeschichte
undGegenwartII",Sachteil,199498),letusincludeinthisessayafewexamplesfromthestatementsgivenbymusic
theoristsofMozartstime:
HeinrichChristophKoch(17491816),anexactcontemporaryofMozartandconnoisseurofhismusic,termedbyHugo
Riemannas"oneofthemostinsightfultheoristsofhistime",whose"VersucheinerAnleitungzurKomposition"washighly
praisedbyJohannNikolausForkelin1784and,evenin1878describedbyFranoisJosephFtisasbeingtheultimatework
tohavebeenpublishedupuntilthen,anauthorwhoisinmyopinionstillnotconsultedfrequentlyenough
Inhis"MusikalischesLexikon"("MusicalDictionary")from1802hewrites:"Sixeightmeter.Thistermdescribestwo
speciesofmeterswhichdifferfundamentallyfromeachother,namely:1)thesimplemixedmeterwhichiscreatedoutofthe
twofourmeterwithadotaddedtoeachquarternoteand2)themetercomposedoftwothreeeightmeters.Thesecanbe
distinguishedfromeachotherinthateachmeasurecontainstwo"strong"andtwo"weak"beats."(12)
JohannPhilippKirnbergerin"DieKunstdesreinenSatzesinderMusik"1776(13):"Onthesubjectofmeter":"Inaddition
adistinctioncanbemadebetweensimpleandcompoundmeters:simplemeterscontainonlyonemetricalfootwhich
cannotbedividedinthemiddlecompoundmetersontheotherhandcanbedividedinthemiddleofeachmeasure,asthey
arecomposedoftwocombinedmeasuresinsimplemeter."(14)
"Remarksoncompoundmeters":"Inbothdupleandtripletimetherearemelodieswhicharemadeupofwholemeasures
whichareobviouslyheavyandlightinturn,sothatonefeelsawholemeasureonlyasonemetricalfoot.Ifthemelodyis
thusconstructedsothatyoufeelawholemeasureasonlyonemetricalfoot,itisnecessarytocombinetwomeasuresin
ordertoproduceasinglemeasureinwhichthefirstpartis[intrinsically]longandthesecondpart[intrinsically]short.Should
thiscontractionnotbecarriedout,onewould[]createamelodyconsistingofnothingbutstrongbeatswhichwouldbeas
unfavourableasapassageofspeechconsistingsolelyofonesyllablewords,eachoneaccentuated.
Thisisthereforetheoriginofcompoundmeters,i.e.thecompound4/4fromtwocombined2/4measures,thecompound6/8
fromtwocombined3/8measuresandsoforth"[i.e.compound2/4fromtwocombined2/8measuresandaccordingto
Marpurg(15)evencompound3/4fromthreecombined2/8measures.]
Thismethodofcombinationonlyoccursinorderthattheperformermayreachacorrectexecutionandplaythesecondpart
ofthemeasuremorelightlythanthefirstpart.Itispossibletodistinguishthesetypesof[compound]metersinthatthe
endingsfallcompletelynaturallyinthesecondhalfofthemeasure[]thusincompound6/4metertheendcanoccuron
thefourthquarternotewhichisnothoweverpossibleinsimple6/4time.Otherwise,asfarasaheavyorlightexecutionand

thefourthquarternotewhichisnothoweverpossibleinsimple6/4time.Otherwise,asfarasaheavyorlightexecutionand
tempoareconcerned,compoundmeterscannotbedistinguishedfromsimplemeters."(16)
ThefollowingstatementsbyHeinrichChristophKocharealsoveryinterestingashedescribesthepossibilityofvariable
caesurae,beingeitheronthefirstorsecondpartofthemeasureincompoundmeter,averyfrequentoccurrenceinthecase
ofMozart.
71"Aseachmeasureofcompoundtimeiscomposedoftwomeasuresofsimpletime,itcontainsofnecessitytwostrong
andtwo[respectivelyfour]weakpartsthereforethecaesurae,thementalrestingpoints,mustbeabletooccurinalltypes
ofcompoundmetereitheronthefirstorthesecondpartofthemeasure
73"[]Herethe[]characteristicofcompoundmeterisdemonstratedthroughthepossibilitythatthecaesuraeofthe
halfandthefullcadencescanalsofallonthesecondpartofthemeasure.Ifthisisthecaseinamelody[],onecanbe
surethatthemelodyiscomposedincompoundmeter.[]Forthisreason,ifonewishestodecideonthenatureofthe
meter,itisinallcasesbesttoconsidertheextentofthepartsofthemelodyatthesametime[]."(17)
Hereisashortlistofexamplesfromvarioustempogroups(withoutconsiderationofthesmallestpredominantnotevalues):
a.Adagio6/8
simple:
PianosonatainFmajor,K.280,2ndmovement
compound:
PianoconcertoinAmajor,K.488,2ndmovement
b.Andante6/8
simple:
1."Pace,pace,miodolcetesoro",Figaro,FinaleIV,measure275
2."Vostredunquesaranquestecarte",Figaro,FinaleII,measure605
3."Unadonnaaquindicianni",Despinasaria,Cosifantutte,No.19
compound:

1."Ach,ichfhls,esistverschwunden",Paminasaria,Zauberflte,No.17
2.PianotrioK.496,2ndmovement
3.GminorSymphony,K.550,2ndmovement
4.AminorRondoforPiano,K.511
c.Allegretto6/8
simple:
1."Ichsollte/ichsollte/ichsolltefort!"Zauberflte,Introduction,measure120
2."Dipastasimilesontuttiquanti",CosfantutteNo.12,bar24
compound:
1."SeidunszumzweitenMalwillkommen",Zauberflte,terzettoNo.16
2.PianoconcertoinFmajor,K.459,2ndmovement
3.PianoTrioinGmajor,K.564,3rdmovement
d.Allegro6/8
simple:
1."Giovinettechefateall'amore",Giovanni,coroNo.5
2.the3rdmovementsofthepianoconcertosinEbmajor,K.482andBbmajor,K.595
compound:
1."DannschmecktemirTrinkenundEssen",Zauberflte,PapagenoariaNo.20
2."Papagena!Papagena!,Zauberflte,ariettaPapageno,No.21,measure413
3.OboequintetK.370,3rdmovement(6/8+!)
4.StringquintetK.517,3rdmovement
5.PianotrioK.548,3rdmovement
6.PianoSonatainDmajor,K.576,1stmovement
Inanessayentitled"MozartsTempoSystem.ZusammengesetzteTaktealsSchlssel"["MozartsTempoSystem.
CompoundMetersasKey"]Ihavesaidmoreonthesubject.(18)However,whatistheanswertothequestionofreference
pointsoftheItaliantempoterms?ThefollowingextractsfromMarpurg,KirnbergerandLeopoldMozartshouldbe

pointsoftheItaliantempoterms?ThefollowingextractsfromMarpurg,KirnbergerandLeopoldMozartshouldbe
representativeforthelate18thcenturysconceptionoftheroleofmeterinthedeterminationoftempo.Eachmeterhasa
tempoofitsown:
Marpurg1760:"Ifoneaskswhyduplemetersaresometimesexpressedas2/2andsometimesas2/4,theansweristhat
themovement[Bewegung]ofaparticularmeterdeterminesthechoiceofthetimesignatureand,forthispurpose,aslower
duplemetermustbewrittenin2/2andafastermeterin2/4.Thesameprocedurecaneasilybeappliedtotriplemeters[3/2,
3/4,3/8]"(19)
Kirnberger1776:"Ingeneralitcanbeestablishedthatinmeterswithanequalnumberofmetricalunits,thosewithgreater
orlongervaluesarebynaturemoreseriousincharacterthanthosewithshortervalues:thusthe4/4meterislesscheerful
thanthe4/8meterthe3/2meterheavierthanthe3/4andthelatternotascheerfulasthe3/8meter.[...]Cumbersomeand
veryseriousisthe3/2meter,[...]Gentleandnobleseemstobethecharacterofthe3/4meter,particularlyifitexclusively,
orforthemostpart,consistsofquarternotes.The3/8meterafterallpossessesavivacitywhichhasatouchof
wantonnessaboutit."(20)
LikewiseLeopoldMozart1756:"C,2or2/4,3/1,3/2,3/4,3/8,6/4,6/8,12/8:Thesetypesofmetersaloneare
sufficienttoindicatetoacertainextentthenaturaldifferencebetweenaslowandfastmelody."(21)
Numeroussourcesconfirmthatinthe18thcentury3/8timewasgenerallyplayedatafastertempothan3/4time,4/8faster
than4/4and2/4fasterthan.Howeverthisisnotthelastwordonthesubject,forasallpracticalmusiciansknowthe
smallestpredominantnotevaluealsoplaysaroleinthedeterminationofthetempo.Becauseofitsthirtysecondnotesthe
Allegro2/4ofthePianosonatainBbmajor,K.281cannotbeplayedasfastastheAllegro2/4ofthethirdmovementsof
thePianosonatasK.279inCmajorandK.282inEbmajortheAllegro4/4of"EinekleineNachtmusik"KV525andof
Leporellos"Catalogue"aria"Madamina",containingnosixteenthnotesofimportance,mustbeplayedfasterthanthe
Allegro4/4ofhisduetwithDonGiovanni"Ohstatuagentilissima"(No.22),orthe1stmovementoftheDmajorPiano
concerto,K.537,bothdominatedbysixteenthnotes.
HereisafurtherquotationfromKirnbergeronthesubject:
"Astudyofthedifferentnotevaluesshowsthatdancemovements[butalsoallothers],inwhichsixteenthandthirty
secondnotesoccurhaveaslowertempothanthosewhichinthesamemeterhaveonlyeighthnotesoratthemost
sixteenthnotesastheshortestnotevalues.
Thusthetempogiustoisdeterminedbothbythemeterandthelongerandshorternotevaluesinapieceofmusic.Oncethe
youngcomposerdevelopsthefeelingforthis,hewillsoonrecognizetowhatextenttheadditionalwordslargo,adagio,
andante,allegro,prestoandalltheirmodifications[...]addorsubtractspeedtothegivennaturaltempo".(22)
Thiscanhardlybeputmoreplainly,andIthinkthatallthosefavouredtheoriesinwhichMozartstempiarebasedonthe
pulserate(whichrate?60/sec.atbreakfast,80inrehearsalorupto120inperformance?)andareinterrelatedthrough
proportionssuchas1:2,1:3or2:3,shouldbecomeirrelevant.Icannothelpsuspectingthatparticularlythealleged"tempo
relations"notmentionedbyanymusictheoristofthe18thcentury(!)(23)aresooftenpostulatedbecausetempo
transitionsareofcoursealoteasieriftheunderlyingbasicbeatremainsconstantandonlythevalueofthenoteschanges.
Forlistenerswhodonotknowthenotationofthepiece,itappearsthenthateverythingisplayedatthesamespeed.Isthis
whatMozarthadinmind,orarehismorethan300differenttypesof"tempo"notratherthestructuralorganisationwithinan
abundantcosmosofspeeds,accentuationsandmannersofplaying,avarietywhichisalsocharacteristicforhismelody,
harmony,rhythm,periodsandforms?
OntheonehandMozartsItaliantempowordscanbeconnectedtotheclassical4/4timewithoutdifficultyifonetakesinto
considerationtheshortesttemporelevantnotevalues(excludinggracenotes,tremoli,tiratas,arpeggiosetc.).Inthesame
waytempowordsreferdirectlytothebeatsofthe"heavy"3/4time,"simple"2/4timeand"simple"6/8time.(Seehatched
fieldsinthefollowingdiagram.)Inontheotherhand,beingalargermeter,thepartsofthemeasureareinthecaseofan
identicaltempowordslower,andinthesmallermeters3/4(inone),3/8,aswellasin"compound"6/8(3/8+3/8)and2/4
(2/8+2/8),theyarefasterthanin"normal"4/4time.Thereisanincreaseoftempoinboththe"additionalwords"fromLargo
toPrestissimoandindepentlyoftheseinthedifferentmetersfromto2/8.
diagram"Tempoandmannerofplaying"
ExceptinecclesiasticalfuguesinthestileanticoisforMozartdefinitelynot"doublethespeed"oftheclassical4/4.(For
thebaroque"large"4/4howeverwithits4heavymainaccentsperbarthedefinitiondoesapply.Itwillbetreatedinmynext
essay"MozartsTempoSystemII".)Asalltempoindicationsreferfirsttothedenominatorofthetimesignature,thehalf
notesinclassicalAllabreveareofcourseslowerthanthequarternotesin4/4.Kirnbergerp.106:"Inaconsiderationof
meters,thosewithlargerdenominators,Allabreve,3/2and6/4time,areheavierandslowerinpacethanthosewithsmaller
denominators".AsoneofnumerousexamplescomparetheAllegrointheZauberflteOverturetotheAllegro4/4ofthe
IntroductionNo.1("ZuHilfe!ZuHilfe!")ortheAndante"Baldprangt,denMorgenzuverknden"totheAndante4/4"Heil
seieuchGeweihten".However,neitheroftheseexamplesconvincemeoftheoppositeopinionthatforMozarttherewasno
differencebetween4/4and(onthissubjectseehisletterfrom20.4.1784).Inacomparisonofallhismovementsinboth
metersitcanbedemonstratedthatthequarternotesinaresubstantiallyfaster,butnottwiceasfast,asthosein4/4time.
Ageneralrulefortherelationbetweenallabreveand4/4time(exceptinthestileantico)couldbegivenapproximately
likethis:
onemeasureinhasthesamedurationasonemeasurein4/4timewiththenexthighergradeoftempo,i.e.:
Larghetto=AndanteC,Andante=AllegrettoC,Allegretto=AllegroC.

Larghetto=AndanteC,Andante=AllegrettoC,Allegretto=AllegroC.
Thesameisvalidfor2/4timeinrelationto4/8:
onemeasurein2/4timehasthesamedurationasonemeasurein4/8timewiththenexthighergradeoftempo,i.e.:
Larghetto2/4=Andante4/8,Andante2/4=Allegretto4/8,Allegretto2/4=Allegro4/8.
ThecomparisonofMozartstempirevealsnumerouscasesofoverlapping:thequarternotesinanAndante4/4are
approximatelyasslowasthoseina"simple"Larghetto3/4ina"simple"Andante3/4thequarternotesareasmoderately
slowastheeighthnotesinanAndantecantabile3/8inAndante3/8theeighthnotespossessthesamecheerfulnessas
thequarternotesinAllegretto4/4.
ThereasonwhyMozartdidnotsimplifythissystemandavoidcasesofoverlappingwhichwouldmakethingsmucheasier
forusisbecauseallthesemetersand"additionalwords"belongtodifferentcompositionaltypesormodelsandrequire
differentmannersofplaying.Concerningthedirectionsgivenbymetersandnotevalues:
JohannAbrahamPeterSchulzinthearticle"Tact"[meter]:"Themannerofplayingandthespeedaredefinedbythe
longerorshorternotevalueswhichareindividualtoeachmeteri.e.heavyandslowinthefirstcase,andlighterandlivelier
inthelatter.[...]3/8timeforexampleshouldbeplayedinalightmannershouldamovementinthismeterbemarked
Adagioandcontainthirtysecondnotes,thentheexecutionmustbeheavierthaniftherewerenothirtysecondnotes,but
notasheavyasifthemovementwerewrittenin3/4time."(24)Andinthearticle"Vortrag"(25):"Thedegreeofheavinessor
lightnessofapiecedependschieflyonthemeter.Thelongerthenotevaluesofthemeter,theheavierthemannerof
playingmustbeandtheshorterthenotevaluesthelighter."(26)
Joh.Ph.Kirnberger:"TwopiecesofmusichavingthesamedegreeofAllegroorLargocanneverthelesshaveaquite
differenteffect,theirmovementalthoughatthesamespeedbeingmorefluentorponderous,lighterorheavieraccordingto
thekindofmeter.Fromthiswerealisethatmovementandmetermustbeusedinharness."(27)
In1776JohannFriedrichReichardtgivesverydetailedinstructionsonthesubjectofthemannerofplayingdictatedbythe
"additionalwords":
Thevariedcharacterofmovementsalsocallsforvariedbowstrokes.ThusthebowstrokeintheAdagioisverydifferent
fromthatintheAllegro,themaindistinctionbeingthatintheAdagiothebowremainsmoreonthestringthanintheAllegro.
InanAdagionothingbutarestmustcausthebowtoleavethestring.Evenwithnotesmarkedstaccatowithastroke(),
evenwiththisshortening,thebowmustneverfullyleavethestring,butmustremainincontactwithaneighthpartofits
hair.
IntheAndantethebowhavethelightnessoftheAllegro'sbowswithoutitssharpnessandthetaperingoffnotsoquickly.
ThesamealsoappliestotheAllegretto:here,however,thesharpnessofthebowstrokebecomessomewhatlivelierand
occasionallyalsosomewhatsharp.
Lastbutnotleast,intheAllegroasharpbowingofthedetachednotesandrapidityofcutoffsisfinallyhighlyessential".
Intensifyingsuperscriptions,suchas,forexample,Allegrodimolto,Allegroassai,Presto,Prestissimo,applymerelytothe
tempoanddonotalterthecharacterofthebowstrokes.Forthebowstroketobeaffected,adesignationsuchasAllegroe
conbrio,Allegroeconspirito,confuoco,resoluto,andsoon,mustbeaddedtothesuperscription.
Likewise,thesuperscriptionsthatlessenthespeedofAllegros,e.g.Allegromanontroppo,nontanto,moderato,andso
on,alsomakenodifferenceinthecharacterofthebowstrokes,butrefermerelytothetempo.If,however,cantabile,dolce,
orsomeotherdesignationisaffixedthatmorepreciselydeterminesthecharacterofthemovement,thenthisreferstothe
bowing,whichmustbecomegentlerandmoreconnected.
Similarly,inslowmovementsthesuperscriptionsmaestoso,affettuoso,mesto,grave,announcethatthelonger
bowstrokesshouldreceiveastronger,moreexpressiveaccent,andthenthatnotesfollowedbyrestsmustnotbecutoff
abruptly,butratherbeallowedtofadeawaygradually."(28)
AsuperbsummaryofallthisisgivenbyJohannAbrahamPeterSchulzinhisarticle"Tact"inSulzers"Allgemeine
TheoriederSchnenKnste":
"So,puttingmetersofallkindssidebysidetogether,itseemssufficianttohaveonemeteroftwobeatsandanotheroffour
foreventime,andathirdofthreebeatsforuneventimeapreciseindicationatthebeginningofthepiecewoulddetermine
therapidityorslownessatwhichitshouldbeperformed:nothingmoreseemstobenecessaryforapieceasregardsmeter
andmovement."[Thisopinion,describedhereaswrong,correspondspreciselywiththeromantic,aswellasthemodern,
understanding.]
"Overlookingthefactthatthemovementiscapableofinifinitedegreesofrapidityandslownesswhichcannotbedefinedby
wordsorothersigns,insuchacaseyouwouldstillneedasmanysignsorwordstodescribehowthepieceshouldbe
performedi.e.shoulditbeplayedheavilyandforte,ormorelightlyandmezzoforteorverylightlyand,asitwere,playfully?
Forthisiswhatthewholecharacterofthepiecedependson.Thereisaworldofdifferenceifapiece,irrespectiveofits
tempo,isplayedontheviolinwiththefullweightofthebow,orlightlyandjustwiththetip.Whatwearetalkingaboutisnot
someartificialrendering,butonebasedonthecharacterofeachindividualpiece,withoutwhichthemusicwouldbearigid
andtediousmonotoneandthischaractermustbeunderstoodifitistobecapturedinordertofindtherightmannerof
playing."
"Ifapieceistobeplayedlightlybutatthesametimeinaslowtempo,thecomposerwillchoose,dependingonthedegree

"Ifapieceistobeplayedlightlybutatthesametimeinaslowtempo,thecomposerwillchoose,dependingonthedegree
oflightnessrequiredintheperformance,ameterofshortorshorterbeats,andusethewordsandanteorlargooradagio
etc.,accordingtohowfartheslownessofthepieceshouldexceedthenaturalmovementofthemeter.Andconversely:if
thepieceistobeplayedinaheavymannerbutatthesametimeatafastspeed,hewillchooseaheavymeterandaddthe
wordsvivace,allegroorpresto,dependingonthesortofperformancehewants.Anexperiencedmusicianseeingthe
speciesofnotevaluesinsuchapiecewillbeinapositiontocapturethemannerofplayingandthemovementwhich
correspondexactlywiththecomposersideasatleastasexactlyascanbeexpressedbyanyothersignsorwords,
howeverprecisetheyare."(29)
Mozarts"tempo"indicationsthereforefocusnotmerelyonthephysicalspeedwhichusuallypreoccupiesus,butalsoon
theperformanceasawhole.,3/4,3/8,andthecompound2/4(2/8+2/8)and6/8(3/8+3/8)metersindicateanindividual
tempooftheirownnotcorrespondingtothebeatof"regular"4/4time.Thistempoofthemeterismodifiedbytheshortest
notevaluesandthe"additionalwords".Sounlikeourhabitualusetempowordsareno"tempoindications"by
themselves,theyareonlypartofthese.Meter,smallestnotevaluesandtempowordcombinedproduceasortofmodulefor
thedeterminationofthemetricalaccentuations,thespeed,characterandmannerofplayingi.e.the"movement"inthe
widestinterpretationoftheterm.NearlythreequartersofallMozartsautographtempowordsthereforedonotreferto
whatevermayberegardedas"thebeat".
TheauthorscomparativestudyofthecompleteautographtempoindicationsbyMozartwilldemonstratethatSwarowskis
assertionthatMozartusedonly"twofasttempi,onemediumandoneslowtempo"(30)isasuntenableasthewidespread
beliefthatthesometimesgrotesquemetronomemarkingsbyTomaschekwhichafterallappeared49yearsafterMozarts
death(!),andthosebyHummel,Czerny,G.Weber,SchlesingerandothersforMozartsworks,providedobjective
informationonhistempi.IfatalltheyarewitnessesofachangeoftastewhichhadtakenplaceduringRossinistimeand
aredevoidofmeaningasfarasourunderstandingofMozartisconcerned.Metronomizationofwhateveroriginisinprinciple
inconsistentwiththenatureofClassicaltempi(31).Theyoriginatedduringapretechnicalera,beforetheobsessionof
measuringbegantoinfluenceourthinking,andareintendedtobefoundthrough"handiwork"bytheperformersthemselves
albeitwithinahighlysophisticatedandcomplexsystemofcorrelatedmusicalparameters.Forthisreason,metronome
markingsforHaydnandMozartarealwayswrong.(Metronome)
Intheend,theonlywaytogetridofspeculationaboutpulserates,walkingspeeds(32),metronomemarkingsand"tempo
relations"andalsofromthecomparisonamongmoreorlessreliabletreatisesfromthetimebeforeMozart(33),istoenquire
ofMozarthimself.Althoughthesubjectoftempowasmentionedonlysporadicallyandnotalwaysclearlyinhislettershe
wasallthemoreexact,aswesawabove,withtheirindicationinhisscores.Inacomparisonofall1.435movementswhich
haveautographtempoindications,itisinalmosteverycasepossibletofindasimilarmovement,ofteninthesamework,or
withinthesameartisticperiod.Oftenthereisonewhich"isdrivensoforciblyintoitsownnaturalmovement"(34),thatthere
canbenoquestionaboutitstempo.Severalmovements(slowerandfasterbydefinition)withthesamemeterandsmallest
notevalueswillserveascomparitivestandard.Hence,theorderandcharacteristicsofMozartstempi,hismorethan300
tempomodules,canbeclarifiedandthelogicinhissystemoftempoindicationsexplained,providedthisisdonewithout
prejudice.
Withinthiscontext,thefollowingcategoriesmustbetakenintoaccount:1)themeter,2)theshortesttemporelevantnote
values,3)thetempoword,4)theharmonicdensityanditsinterconnectionwiththemeter,5)therhythm,6)thearticulation
and7),ifapplicable,thetext,versemeterand(withspecialprecaution!)thedramaticcontext.
Itmustalsobeexaminedwhetherthegenre("ecclesiastical,theatricalorchamberstyle")andthekeyplayarole,and,in
addition,whethertherewasperhapsalsoadevelopmentinMozartsconceptionoftempofromtheearlycompositionstothe
worksofhislastperiod.
Oncetheorderofthetempomoduleshasbeenestablished,eachperformerisfreetosearchwithinthehighlysophisticated
systemusedbyMozartforwhatcouldbethe"right"tempoforthepiece,theensembleandaudienceontheday,inthis
particulartheater,churchorconcerthall.

>>>Youropiniononmytheories,yourpropositions,objections,comments,orcriticisminthevisitor'sbookwill
behighlyappreciated.Thenewanswerstothe200yearoldquestionswhichItrytogiveinmytextscouldvery
muchprofitbyabroaddiscussion.
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