Trumpet Concerto (Mozart)
Encyclopedia
The Trumpet Concerto, K. 47c is a concerto for trumpet
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
that is apparently now lost. It is Mozart's only concerto written for a brass instrument
other than his four horn concertos
.
by Mozart's father, Leopold
, in Vienna
to Lorenz Hagenauer back in Salzburg
, the Mozarts' home. In the letter Leopold wrote that "the new church of Father Parhammer's orphanage will be consecrated on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. For this feast, Wolfgang has composed a solemn mass, an offertorium and a trumpet concerto for a boy...". The church involved was the Kirche Maria Geburt on the Rennweg, and the intended soloist may have been an orphan, Ignatz Schmatz. The consecration is known to have happened, as the Wienerisches Diarium reported on the service on 10 December 1768. However, as the trumpet concerto does not appear on Leopold's list of his son's works, it is uncertain whether it ever actually existed. The other compositions performed at the service are thought to be the Mass in C Minor K. 139 and a lost offertory (previously thought to be the extant Benedictus sit deus K. 117).
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
that is apparently now lost. It is Mozart's only concerto written for a brass instrument
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
other than his four horn concertos
Horn Concertos (Mozart)
The four Horn Concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are a major part of most professional horn players' repertoire. The concertos were written for his friend Joseph Leutgeb , whom he had known since childhood...
.
History and evidence for existence
The only evidence for the existence of the concerto is a letter written on 12 November 17681768 in music
- Events :*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his family are resident in Vienna until December.*Antonio Sacchini returns to Venice to become director of the Conservatorio dell'Ospadeletto.*Giuseppe Tartini suffers a stroke....
by Mozart's father, Leopold
Leopold Mozart
Johann Georg Leopold Mozart was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule.-Childhood and student years:He was born in Augsburg, son of...
, in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
to Lorenz Hagenauer back in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, the Mozarts' home. In the letter Leopold wrote that "the new church of Father Parhammer's orphanage will be consecrated on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. For this feast, Wolfgang has composed a solemn mass, an offertorium and a trumpet concerto for a boy...". The church involved was the Kirche Maria Geburt on the Rennweg, and the intended soloist may have been an orphan, Ignatz Schmatz. The consecration is known to have happened, as the Wienerisches Diarium reported on the service on 10 December 1768. However, as the trumpet concerto does not appear on Leopold's list of his son's works, it is uncertain whether it ever actually existed. The other compositions performed at the service are thought to be the Mass in C Minor K. 139 and a lost offertory (previously thought to be the extant Benedictus sit deus K. 117).