Violin Sonatas, KV 26-31 (Mozart)
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
's set of six sonatas for keyboard and violin, K
. 26-31 were composed in early 1766 in The Hague
during the Mozart family's grand tour of Europe
. They were dedicated to Princess Caroline of Nassau-Weilburg on the occasion of the eighteenth birthday of her brother, the Prince of Orange
. They were published as Mozart's "Opus 4".
These works show an improvement in compositional technique over the sets for Paris
(KV 6-9
) and London
(KV 10-15
), although like the previous sets, the keyboard part dominates and the violin may be considered optional.
Mozart composed all three early sets of accompanied sonatas while touring northwest Europe. These types of sonatas were not favored at home in Salzburg. Mozart would not revisit this genre until 1777-78 on a trip to Mannheim
and Paris.
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...
's set of six sonatas for keyboard and violin, K
Köchel-Verzeichnis
The Köchel-Verzeichnis is a complete, chronological catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which was originally created by Ludwig von Köchel. It is abbreviated K or KV. For example, Mozart's Requiem in D minor was, according to Köchel's counting, the 626th piece Mozart composed....
. 26-31 were composed in early 1766 in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
during the Mozart family's grand tour of Europe
Mozart family grand tour
The Mozart family grand tour was a journey through western Europe, undertaken by Leopold Mozart, his wife Anna Maria, and their musically gifted children Maria Anna and Wolfgang Amadeus from 1763 to 1766. At the start of the tour the children were aged eleven and seven respectively...
. They were dedicated to Princess Caroline of Nassau-Weilburg on the occasion of the eighteenth birthday of her brother, the Prince of Orange
William V, Prince of Orange
William V , Prince of Orange-Nassau was the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, and between 1795 and 1806 he led the Government of the Dutch Republic in Exile in London. He was succeeded by his son William I...
. They were published as Mozart's "Opus 4".
These works show an improvement in compositional technique over the sets for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(KV 6-9
Violin Sonatas, KV 6-9 (Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's first four sonatas for keyboard and violin, K. 6-9 are among his earliest works. These were composed by a budding Mozart between 1762 and 1764...
) and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(KV 10-15
Violin Sonatas, KV 10-15 (Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's set of six sonatas for keyboard with accompaniment of violin or flute, K. 10-15 were composed in late 1764 in London during the Mozart family's grand tour of Europe. Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom commissioned them on October 25 and the works were dedicated on...
), although like the previous sets, the keyboard part dominates and the violin may be considered optional.
Mozart composed all three early sets of accompanied sonatas while touring northwest Europe. These types of sonatas were not favored at home in Salzburg. Mozart would not revisit this genre until 1777-78 on a trip to Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
and Paris.
External links
- MozartForum notes on early Mozart compositions