Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 is commonly nicknamed Jupiter.
Mozart completed the symphony in 1788, during an exceptionally productive summer that also produced his Symphonies Nos. 39 and 40. Symphony No. 41 is his final symphony and is scored for a large Classical-era orchestra, including timpani, trumpets, and clarinets.
The name “Jupiter” was not supplied by Mozart. It is generally associated with the London impresario Johann Peter Salomon, although the exact origin of the nickname is not completely certain. The title helped make the work especially memorable to later audiences.
The finale is famous for combining several contrasting themes in sophisticated counterpoint. Listeners sometimes call it the “Jupiter” Symphony rather than using its number, while “Jupiter” is also the name of a movement in Gustav Holst’s The Planets, a separate work with no direct connection to Mozart’s symphony.