Ein musikalischer Spaß [A Musical Joke] for 2 horns, 2 violins, viola and basso
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On June 14, 1787, Mozart entered the Musikalischer Spaß in F, KV 522 in his own handwritten catalog of works: “Ein Musikalischer Spass; consisting of an Allegro, Minuet and Trio, Adagio, and finale. – 2 violini, viola, 2 corni, e Basso.”
The work was known in the 19th century as the “village musicians’ sextet”, the “peasants’ symphony” or “miners’ music”. However, Mozart was probably poking fun at untalented composers rather than bad musicians. This is particularly noticeable in the minuet, in which the horns play grotesque sequences of notes, and in the slow movement with a cadenza for the first violin that goes completely beyond the scope of the movement. The end of the work is not for the faint-hearted: Mozart has the final notes and chords in each instrument played in a different key, which contradicted any understanding of harmony at the time.
Did you know that there was never an original score for the first movement of Musikalischer Spaß?
Mozart wrote this movement down in parts, as he occasionally did when composing for friends—a remarkable feat of memory, as Mozart himself could not easily check the relationship between the parts in this way. The part for the second violin even exists in two different versions.
Mozart referred to a small number of works for strings alone, or for strings, horns, and occasionally another woodwind instrument, as *Divertimento* or *Notturno*. The number of movements varies, ranging from three to six. According to 18th-century performance practice, these pieces require only one player per part, in contrast to serenades and cassations, which were typically performed with an orchestra. The most famous works of this kind are A Musical Joke, K. 522 (with 2 horns) and Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 (for strings) from Mozart’s Vienna period. Musically, the three Divertimenti K. 136–138 are barely distinguishable from the early string quartets K. 155–160. K. 247, K. 287, and K. 334 form a distinct group of sextets featuring a highly virtuosic first violin part.
Autograph, 1787
Partitur: 23 Bl. (26 beschr. S.); Stimmen
Abschrift, 1800
Stimmen
Abschrift, 1800
Sinfonia cauponaria./ per 2 Violini, Alto, Basso/ et 2 Corni/ Partitura.
Partitur: 28 S.