Today Leopold Mozart is known almost exclusively as the stern father of Wolfgang, but he was a prominent and successful musician in his own time.
His 'Sleigh Ride', composed just before Wolfgang was born, certainly shows that he also had as good a sense of humour as his more famous son, who even included this piece of his father in his own 'German Dances' in 1791.
Sleigh Ride whip
This work is something of a programmatic serenade, with short titles for each section.
The action begins with a short overture (Intrada), followed by the Sleigh Ride itself, a lively duple-meter dance accompanied by jangling sleigh bells and punctuated by the cracking of a whip.
Then comes the 'The Young Lady Shivers With Cold' before arriving at the party with 'The Ball Begins' which is a courtly menuet, and the 'End of the Ball' is a spirited 'Kehraus', a lively rondo-form dance.
Perfect atmosphere
This transcription captures the atmosphere perfectly and also gives brands the opportunity to present new material for their annual Christmas concerts.
Rolling score
To view a rolling score video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgrBe1u8Xag
