Serenade in C minor (K.388)

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

£27.00
In stock

Mozart Serenade in C minor (K.388) (Set of Parts)
for two Oboes, two Clarinets, two Horns and two Bassoons

On 24 April 1782 Emperor Joseph II wrote to the man in charge of the Imperial theatres, Count Franz Xaver Orsini von Rosenberg, instructing him to establish, as part of his court staff, a Harmonie (wind band) ensemble consisting of a wind octet.

The emperor’s action established a vogue, and within a few years many of Austria’s higher nobility had followed his example, founding a similar “Harmoniemusik”.  The result was a sharp rise in demand for wind music: not only Mozart but Haydn, Beethoven and many lesser lights from the Vienna area produced original compositions for such ensembles.

Unlike Mozart’s Salzburg serenades with their large number of movements, the Serenade in C minor K.388 is laid out in the standard four-movement form already established as “classical” by the string quartet, string quintet and symphony.  The work stands apart from Mozart’s other works for wind instruments, transcending the customary bounds of the genre with its lofty seriousness of tone.  Mozart himself may have been aware of the special nature of his Wind Serenade, and this may have influenced his decision to rework it later into the String Quintet K.406.

- Urtext of the New Mozart Edition

- Parts (BA5332) and study score format 22.5 x 16.5cm (TP313) available for sale

Leeson, Daniel N.
BA5332
9790006468010
Baerenreiter Germany

Additional Information

Classical
Wind Ensemble