Church sonata in C

In Salzburg, until 1783, it was customary during Mass at the Cathedral to perform an instrumental piece after the Old Testament reading and before the Epistle reading, in place of a choral gradual. These so-called *Epistle Sonatas* were performed with orchestra in Mozart’s time, although many are scored only for two violins and basso continuo. The original parts for Mozart’s Epistle Sonatas were lost in the 19th century, but performance materials for similar compositions from the early 18th century typically include four or five bass instrument parts (cello, violone, and bassoon) and often two organ parts. While Salzburg church sonatas from the early 18th century were often multi-movement works, Mozart cultivated a single-movement type, almost always in *Allegro* tempo and often with an obbligato organ. Mozart’s church sonatas can only rarely be definitively linked to specific Mass compositions.