[Coro]: Schon weichet dir, Sonne!

Ballets were a regular part of performances of Italian opere serie, and occasionally of serenatas, as well. Depending on local traditions, up to three different ballets were played in conjunction with an opera; these were usually not written by the composer of the opera itself. Mozart’s ballets KV 657 for Ascanio in Alba, KV 111 and KV 367 for Idomeneo, re di Creta, KV 366 are notable exceptions to this rule.

A longstanding tradition of ballet existed in Paris, where Mozart composed Les petits riens, KV 299b (1778) and drafted several other works or individual movements. Mozart also composed music for pantomimes performed during private balls in Vienna and incidental music for the spoken drama Thamos, König von Ägypten, KV 345.