The Mannheim School - Mozart's Flute Concerto In G

I found that I was easily able to follow the score while listening to this music. I think I can attribute this to the fact that since starting this course I have followed orchestral scores regularly when completing exercises. Some orchestral scores I do find more difficult to follow, but this one I managed without any trouble, due to a prominent solo part with lots of shape and ornamentation, both things which act as 'landmarks' on the score and make it much easier to follow.

Following the score definitely enhances my own enjoyment of the music. I find it focuses my mind and stop it wondering, and gives me a road map so I know a little about what comes next. Following scores has been a very useful activity for previous exercises where I find it much easier to discern the structure of the piece. For some reason I also find I remember melodies better when following along with the score, rather than just listening.

Before listening to the music and following the score for a second time, I undertook some quick research on notable Mannheim School innovations. These include:

Mannheim Crescendo (entire orchestra crescendos together from pianissimo to fortissimo)
Mannheim Rocket (a rapidly ascending arpeggiated melody)
Mannheim Roller (a crescendo passage with an ascending melodic line over an ostinato bass)
Mannheim Sigh (putting emphasis on the first pair of descending paired slurred notes)
Mannheim Birds (imitation of chirping birds in solo passages)
Grand Pause (music stops momentarily before restarting vigorously)

I noticed in this piece that there are lots of dynamic contrasts between forte and piano. There is only a single crescendo, which occurs near the end of the movement on the very last page of the score. This only goes from piano to forte though so I'm not sure it can be considered a Mannheim Crescendo. I wasn't able to spot any Mannheim Rockets, Sighs or Birds, and no Grand Pause either. I did however find several very short passages where only the oboe and horns are playing as the other instruments are resting.

The chord changes seem to occur mostly twice or sometimes once a bar, but I'm unsure if this would be classed as a slow rate of harmonic change or not, considering the predominantly short value notes in the score. The music is clearly of homophonic texture, with a clear melody and accompaniment arrangement.

I listened to the the music while following the score again, this time to see if I could focus on more than one part simultaneously. Before, I had focused mainly on the flute, and this was great at helping me keep my bearings on the page. I was pleased to discover though that I was quite capable of following multiple instruments, or what I like to do which is swap my focus between different instruments, even when a particular instrument is not currently the focus of the music, and I found I could do this without losing my place in the score.

I believe the reason that I find following the score while listening to the music beneficial is because it encourages active rather than passive listening. When following the score the music has my full attention, and I am able to spot subtle details on the score that I'd perhaps miss if I were just listening.