Mozart visited Paris three times, twice as a part of his childhood "Grand Tour" (1763 and 1766) and once as an adult (1778). His Symphony 31 is nicknamed the "Paris" Symphony as it was composed during this third trip to the French capital as part of Mozart's attempts to secure a permanent court position away from Salzburg.
Although the Paris Symphony was a big success with the French audience, it's premiere was about the only part of the trip that didn't end in disaster. Mozart wasn't interested in accepting a position in Paris and had only traveled there at his father Leopold's insistence. Further, Mozart's mother, Ana Maria, suddenly died in Paris from an undiagnosed illness. Mozart eventually returned to Salzburg and would remain there until his residence in Munich three years later.
 |
| TULLERIES PALACE IN PARIS (1778) |
The "Paris" Symphony remains one of Mozart's most unique compositions in that it was specifically composed to appeal to the 18th Century French audience. Several compositional techniques that were very popular with the French at the time were cleverly incorporated into the symphony. Among them are the use of loud orchestral flourishes at the beginning of the symphony, the prominence of wind instruments, the use of French Overture style dotted rhythms, and the adoption of the three movement format more common in French symphonies.
