Why does less than 5% of Mozart's music begin in a minor key?

Of Mozart's entire surviving output (considering individual movements) I count around 100 pieces which are in a minor key. Whilst this is still a huge figure, it includes movements, and accounts for less than 5% of the composer's output. This seems to me rather unusual. Only two of the forty-one symphonies are in minor keys, despite Haydn (and indeed Mozart!) clearly having illustrated the beauty with which minor tonality might be incorporated into sonata form.

I am aware that passages in the minor key almost always appear in his lengthier works, but remain intrigued as to why such a high proportion of his compositions begin and end in the major. The first person to whom I mentioned this suggested that Mozart may have considered the major slightly more interesting in terms of its freedom to modulate, but when one notices that his compositions from youth are predominantly major, and those major works composed in minor keys appear centred around his later years, I find this theory harder to believe. It's possible he just didn't like minor keys, which seems a strange deduction.

What accounts for this 95:5% figure?

Note: I stress this is counting individual movements, which brings Mozart's number of works to 2669.

Are you sure about your percentage? 5%?

Fantasy for piano No.3 and No.4 are both in minor. Sonatas in piano, many are in minor. Symphonies have movements in minor, even if the whole thing is not in minor, etc...

What I mean is that if the actual numbers were someting like 30-70 then there wouldn't be any problem, the guy was jolly happy in his output in music (plus very young and arrogant as well). If it is indeed 5-95 then it takes more research.

Back to you Tom... Thank you Diane

Yea, 100/630 (very roughly) does not make 5%. More like 16%. Add to that what Nikolas said (many of Mozart's E flat major works have a large, impressive C minor slow movement), and it looks a bit more normal. Add to that he probably just preferred major keys.

I'm counting absolutely everything, including movements. It's an even smaller figure if I only count individual pieces. It's 37 (add six if you count his arrangements of of Bach's fugues). Taking your figure of 630 compositions (which seems too small), we still only get 5.8%.

There are two piano sonatas in a minor key. There are no piano concerti in a minor key.

There are no piano concerti in a minor key.

C minor, and D minor piano concerti - if you have got this wrong, when this is such a big thing (D min PC is exceptionally famous), then have you got your other stuff right?

You're right, sorry - I'd counted them the first time around. I'm willing to be disproved, but to do so, I think you'd need to show that there are more than 40 or so minor compositions.

Well, I'm not really sure if you're after some long technical explaination but common sense would tell you that...he just liked Major keys better?

I don't mean to sound like an ass; just don't see what other explaination there could be.

No. I think you're entirely right! I just can't think of any other any other composers who were quite so. . . stubborn. I suppose it fits with his character.

let me get this straight: you're wondering why only 5% of his music "starts in a minor key"?

just out of curiosity, have you checked how many of his peices have secondary themes in minor keys?

or how many of his pieces modulate the main theme (in major) TO a minor key?

It's actually a LOT more interesting to give yourself more lattitude for modulation this way. I think Mozart did just fine with his choices of keys.

By the way, to include all his works in this calculation, you would have to ALSO include every number from every one of his operas, every section from every choral work, etc...

Originally Posted by QcCowboy

let me get this straight: you're wondering why only 5% of his music "starts in a minor key"?

Yes, or rather, why approximately 5% professes a minor key.

Originally Posted by QcCowboy

It's actually a LOT more interesting to give yourself more lattitude for modulation this way. I think Mozart did just fine with his choices of keys.

So your point is that starting in a major key allows for greater modulatory freedom? This is the part of the question in which I'm interested. There's no debate to be had regarding the tonality selected for individual works - an astoundingly small proportion are actually *in* minor keys.

Originally Posted by QcCowboy

By the way, to include all his works in this calculation, you would have to ALSO include every number from every one of his operas, every section from every choral work, etc...

Don't take my word on the calculation. I was prompted to examine the variation of tonality having looked at the Kochel listings, surprised at how few times the word 'moll' appears. It's just something I found intriguing. Here it is, if you're interested:
Köchel catalogue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia