Horn Quintet (Mozart)

Horn Quintet
by W. A. Mozart
The composer in 1782
Key	E-flat major
Catalogue	K. 407
Genre	Chamber music
Style	Classical period
Composed	1782 (1782)
Movements	Three (Allegro, Andante, Rondo – Allegro)
Scoring	Horn string quartet

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Quintet in E-flat major, K. 407 (386c), was written in 1782 for the soloist Joseph Leutgeb. The work calls for one horn, one violin, two violas and one cello, differing from the usual two violins with the conventional string quartet.

Structure

The work consists of three movements, Allegro, Andante, Rondo Allegro with a typical duration of around 17 minutes. The use of two viola parts is said to give the work a deeper sound, which matches the range of the horn soloist.

History

This piece was written in Vienna soon after Mozart's marriage, around the same time as the composition of Die Entführung aus dem Serail. This is the first item written for Mozart's friend, the cheesemonger Joseph Leutgeb. His instrument, a natural horn, lacked valves as in the modern French horn. The finale makes virtuosic demands on the soloist. The later horn solo pieces for an ageing Leutgeb by Mozart show lesser demands on the soloist. The work was first published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1883. As the original autograph score is lost, modern performances are based on the first edition.

External links

•  Quintet in E-flat KV 407: Score and critical report (in German) in the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe
• Horn Quintet in E-flat (W. A. Mozart): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Video on YouTube, Přemysl Vojta, Sara Etelävuori, Christoph Zander, Tomasz Neugebauer, Simon Deffner