Description
A fugue fragment left unfinished. It appears to have been written while Mozart was studying the counterpoint of Bach and Handel, and alongside K.153, K.154 and K.401 from the same period it documents his work on the fugue.
In E minor and 4/4, what survives is an opening in which the subject is stated and further voices join, setting the interweaving of parts in motion. Even in so short a piece his engagement with interweaving voices shows, making it an interesting document of how Mozart composed.
It is rated intermediate, a short piece of under a minute and 339 notes. Following how the subject is handed on throughout makes it all the more rewarding. The range is D2 to B5, fitting on a 61-key keyboard. As a fragment it breaks off mid-course, but listening while checking the subject entries in the score view, and repeating the passages where voices overlap with the A-B loop, turns it into a short lesson in fugal writing.
Contrapuntal works influenced by Bach, where each composer's individuality shines through a strict formal structure.
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Sheet music provided by Mutopia Project
About the Composer
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria, and achieved fame as a child prodigy before establishing his career in Vienna. In a life of only 35 years, he produced masterpieces across symphonies, operas, chamber music, and keyboard works. His style combines clarity and formal balance with rich emotional depth. This site includes movements of the Sonatas K. 545 and K. 331, the Fantasia in D minor, K. 397, and several fugues.
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