Piano Course - Chamber Music with Piano

Works for Violin & Piano:

             6 Variations in G minor on "Hélas, j'ai perdu mon amant" for violin and piano, K. 360 (1781)


       The Sonatas for Violin and Piano (Violin Sonatas)  

              List of the 20 "Mature" Violin Sonatas  (1778 - 1788)

            Mozart wrote 16 violin sonatas as a child, then composed none for years.  He resumed writing 
            violin sonatas at age 22 and wrote 20 before his death,  completing 16.  Many of the late sonatas 
             have two movements and many have three.

             Mozart was instrumental in the development of the classical violin sonata being the first
             composer to give even parity between the violin and the piano. Several of his violin sonatas 
             feature a movement in theme and variation format.

     Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter and pianist Lambert Orkis play the 16 completed 
     sonatas on two videos on Youtube.  See the Online Resources page to watch the videos.


      Recommended Violin Sonatas:    No. 21, K 304,  No. 24, K 376,  No. 25, K 377,  No. 26, K 378,  
                                                             No. 28, K. 380, No. 32, K 454


Works for Chamber Group with Piano:

       Piano Trios (piano, violin & cello) -  List of the 6 Piano Trios

            NOTE:  Starting with Piano Trio No. 2, Mozart gave the three instruments equal melodic  roles.  
                           Prior to that, string trios featured the violin and the piano with the cello only supporting 
                           the piano's bass lines.

            No. 3, K. 502, No. 4, K.542 & No. 5, K.548 are usally considered the best of the six.

            Joseph Haydn is known for his 24 "later" piano trios written between 1784 - 1797.


       Piano Quartets  (piano, violin, viola & cello):

            Mozart was commissioned to write six piano quartets by a music publisher.  After delivering the 
            first quartet, the publisher wrote to Mozart and cancelled the contract saying he could not sell 
            the work because it was too complicated to play.  Mozart had already started writing the second 
            quartet and finished it anyway for his own satisfaction. 

             Both quartets are considered very good works.

                Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478  (1785)

                Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat major, K. 403  (1786) 


       Miscellaneous:

                Piano trio for clarinet, viola and piano in E-flat major, K. 498 "Kegelstatt"  (1786)

                       Mozart was important for making the clarinet a featured instrument.  Before him, the 
                       clarinet was just used in the woodwind section.  Besides the Kegalstatt trio, Mozart's 
                       Clarinet Quintet and, especially, his Clarinet Concerto are important works in the 
                       history of the clarinet.       

                       "Kegelstatt" means "a place where skittles is played."  Skittles was an early form of bowling.   


                 Quintet in Eb for Piano and Winds, K. 452  (1784)  

                         A piano quintet is usually for a piano and a string quartet.  But here Mozart uses 
                         the unusual combination of a piano with four wind instruments; a clarinet, an 
                         oboe, a bassoon, and a horn.  Shortly after the premiere, Mozart wrote to his 
                         father that "I myself consider it to be the best thing I have written in my life."

                         Beethoven also wrote a piano quintet with these instruments whch was also in the 
                         key of E flat.  Undoubtably, he had heard this work by Mozart.

                         Ludwig van Beethoven -  Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds, Op. 16  (1796)

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Samples of Mozart's Chamber Music with Piano:

          Violin Sonatas (Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin, Lambert Orkis, piano)   (10:00)

                       Sonata No. 25 in F major, K.377  (1781)

                                  2.  Temo con variazioni. Andante  (variations with a gypsy sound)  (5:45, partial)

                       Sonata No. 35 in A Major, K.526  (1787)

                             The piano part is considered the most difficult to play in any of Mozart's violin sonatas.  

                                  3.   Presto   (5:25, partial)



Piano Trios (2)  (12:00)


          Monothematic...  same melody in two different keys.

          Piano Trio No. 3 in B flat for Piano, Violin and Violoncello, K.502  (1786)

                   Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin, Daniel Müller-Schott, cello, André Previn, piano

                            I.  Allegro  (7:40)


          Piano Trio No. 5 in C major for Piano, Violin and Violoncello, K. 548  (1788)

                    Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin, Daniel Müller-Schott, cello, André Previn, piano

                          II.  Andante cantabile  (4:30, cut)


Piano Quartets (2)  (13:00)

          Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, K. 478  (1785)

                 Alina Pogostkina, Violin, Veronika Hagen, Viola, Mischa Meyer, Cello, Jérôme Ducros, Piano 


                          I.  Allegro, in G minor  (5:50)  


          Piano Quartet No. 2 in E flat major, K. 403  (1786) 

              Michael Barenboim, violin, Yulia Deyneka, viola, Kian Soltani, cello, Daniel Barenboim, piano

                        III.   Allegretto, 2/4  (6:05-cut)  


Miscellaneous:

          Piano trio for clarinet, viola and piano in E-flat major, K. 498 "Kegelstatt"  (1786)

               Martin Fröst, klarinet, Roland Pöntinen, piano, Maxim Rysanov, viola

                     III.  Rondeaux: Allegretto  (5:15, partial)

                             This is a rare A→B→A→C→A→D→A rondo


          Quintet in Eb for Piano and Winds, K. 452  (1784)  (12:00)

                Klara Würtz, piano. Henk De Graaf, clarinet, Hans Meyer, oboe, 
                Peter Gaasterland, bassoon, & Martin Van de Merwe, horn

                      II.  Larghetto (B♭ major, 3/8)   (5:30)

                     III.  Allegretto (E♭ major, 2/2)   (5:30)  (An A-B-A-C-A rondo)