Mozart piano concertos

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Mozart Piano Concertos
Wolfgang-amadeus-mozart 1.jpg
Number of concertos: 23
Instrumentation: Piano and orchestra
Dates of composition: 1773–1791


Piano concertos[edit]

List of concertos[edit]

Concerto No.  7 is for three (or two) pianos and orchestra, and No. 10 is for 2 pianos and orchestra, leaving 21 original concertos for one piano and orchestra.


Early keyboard concertos were written by, among others, C. P. E. Bach, J. C. Bach, Soler, Wagenseil, Schobert, Vanhall and Haydn. Earlier still, in the Fifth Brandenburg Concerto by J. S. Bach, the keyboard part is elevated to the most prominent position among the instruments. These works, with their alternation of orchestral tuttis and passages for solo display, in turn owe their structure to the tradition of Baroque operatic arias, from which the first movements of Mozart's piano concertos inherited their basic ritornellic form. A similar structure can also be seen in the violin concerti of, for example, Vivaldi, who established the form, along with the three-movement concerto structure, and Viotti, wherein the concerto is divided into six sections. The keyboard parts of the concertos were almost invariably based on material presented in the ritornelli, and it was probably J. C. Bach, whom Mozart admired, who introduced the structural innovation of allowing the keyboard to introduce new thematic material in its first entry.

Early Mozart concertos[edit]

Concertos Nos 1–4 (K. 37, 39, 40 and 41) are orchestral and keyboard arrangements of sonata movements by other composers. The next three concertos (K. 107/1, 2 and 3), which are not numbered, are arrangements of piano sonatas by J. C. Bach (Op 5. No. 2 in D major; Opus 5. No. 3 in G Major and Opus 5. No. 4 in E flat major, all composed by 1766). Based on handwriting analysis of the autographs they are believed to date from 1771–72. Concerto No. 5 (1773) K. 175 was his first real effort in the genre, and one that proved popular at the time. Concerto No. 6, K. 238 in B flat Major from 1776 is the first Mozart concerto proper to introduce new thematic material in the piano's first solo section. Concerto No. 7 for three pianos (K. 242) and Concerto No. 8 (K. 246) also date from 1776 and are generally not regarded as demonstrating much of an advance, although No. 7 is quite well known.

Nine months after No. 8, however, Mozart produced one of his early masterpieces, the "Jenamy" (formerly "Jeunehomme") concerto, No. 9, K. 271. This work shows a decisive advance in organisation of the first movement, as well as demonstrating some irregular features, such as the dramatic interruption of the orchestral opening by the piano after only one and a half bars. The final concerto Mozart wrote before the end of his Salzburg period was the well-known concerto No. 10 for two pianos, K. 365: the presence of the second piano disturbs the "normal" structure of piano-orchestra interaction.


Early Vienna concertos[edit]





Major Vienna works[edit]


The next concerto, K. 449 (No. 14) in E-flat major, ushers in a period of creativity that has certainly never been surpassed in piano concerto production. From February 1784 to March 1786, Mozart wrote no fewer than 11 masterpieces, with another (K. 503, No. 25) to follow in December 1786. The advance in technique and structure from the early Vienna examples is marked from the very first of this mature series. Written for his pupil Barbara Ployer to play, it (K. 449) is the first instrumental work by Mozart that shows the strong influence of his operatic writing. The next, K. 450 (No. 15), shows a reversion to an earlier, galant style. K. 451 (No. 16) is a not very well known work (Hutchings appears not to have liked it particularly, although Girdlestone ranks it highly). The first movement is broadly "symphonic" in structure and marks a further advance in the interactions between piano and orchestra. Remarkably, Mozart records that he completed it only one week after the previous K. 450.

The next three concertos, K. 453 (No. 17), 456 (No. 18) and 459 (No. 19), can be considered to form a group, as they all share certain features, such as the same rhythm in the opening (heard also in K. 415 and K. 451). K. 453 was written for Barbara Ployer, and is famous in particular for its last movement, although it is altogether a great work. The next concerto in B flat, K. 456 was, for a long time, believed to have been written for the blind pianist Maria Theresa von Paradis to play in Paris.[4] Finally, K. 459, is sunny with an exhilarating finale.


1785 is marked by the contrasting pair K. 466 (no. 20 in D minor) and K. 467 (no. 21 in C major), again, remarkably, written within the same month. These two works, one the first minor-key concerto Mozart wrote (both K. 271 and 456 have a minor-key second movement) and a dark and stormy work, and the other sunny, are among the most popular works Mozart produced. The final concerto of the year, K. 482 (no. 22 in E-flat), is slightly less popular, possibly because it lacks the striking themes of the first two. Mozart did not write cadenzas for these concertos; or if he did, they have since been lost.


Mozart managed to write two more masterpieces in one month, March: The first was No. 23 in A major K. 488, one of the most consistently popular of his concertos, notable particularly for its poignant slow movement in F-sharp minor, the only work he wrote in the key. He followed it with No. 24, K. 491, which Hutchings regards as his finest effort. It is a dark and passionate work, made more striking by its classical restraint, and the final movement, a set of variations, is commonly called "sublime." The final work of the year, No. 25, K. 503, is one of the most expansive of all classical concertos, rivaling no. 5 of Beethoven.

Later concertos[edit]

K. 503 was the last of the regular series of concertos Mozart wrote for his subscription concerts. The next work, K. 537, the "Coronation", completed in February 1788, has a mixed reputation and possibly is the revision of a smaller chamber concerto into a larger structure. Despite its structural problems, it remains popular. Two fragments of piano concertos, K. 537a and K. 537b, in D major and D minor respectively, were also probably begun in this month, although perhaps earlier. Finally, the last concerto, no. 27 (K. 595) was the first work from the last year of Mozart's life: it represents a return to form for Mozart in the genre. Its texture is sparse, intimate and even elegiac.

The Mozartian concept of the piano concerto[edit]

In the works of his mature series, Mozart created a unique conception of the piano concerto that attempted to solve the ongoing problem of how thematic material is dealt with by the orchestra and piano, and with the exception of the two exceptionally fine early concertos K. 271 (Jeunehomme) and K. 414 (the "little A major") all of his best examples are from later works. He strives to maintain a mean between a symphony with occasional piano solos and a virtuoso piano fantasia with orchestral accompaniment; twin traps that later composers were not always able to avoid. His resulting solutions are varied (none of the mature series is really similar to any of the others structurally, apart from at a broad level) and complex.

First movement structure[edit]


  • Prelude (orchestra)[5]
  • First Ritornello (orchestra)
  • Middle Section (piano plus orchestra)
  • Recapitulation (piano plus orchestra)



  • Prelude = 1st exposition
  • Exposition = 2nd exposition
  • Middle section = development

However, while there are broad correspondences, this simple equation does not really do justice to the Mozartian scheme. For example, the piano concerto may well not include a well-defined second group of subjects in the prelude; and in particular, does not include a definitive modulation to the dominant in this section, as might be expected from sonata form, even though Mozart feels free to shift the sense of tonality around in this and other sections. The reason for this, as Tovey remarked, is that the purpose of the Prelude is to generate a sense of expectation leading towards the piano entry; and this must come from the music itself, and not just from the title on the top of the page. If a complete sonata form were imposed on the Prelude, then it would take on a life of its own, so that when the piano entry occurs, it would be rather incidental to the overall structure. To express it in another way, in sonata form, the first group of subjects is linked to and generates an expectation of the second group, which would tend to detract attention away from the piano entry – a point that, as Tovey points out, was only grasped by Beethoven rather belatedly. Conversely, in the Mozartian concept, the piano entry is always a moment of great importance, and he varies it considerably from concerto to concerto. The only exception to this rule is the dramatic intervention of the piano in the second bar of the Jeunehomme concerto, which is, however, minor enough not to disturb the overall structure. Rather than the Prelude being a "preliminary canter" (Hutchings) of the themes of the concerto, its role is to introduce and familiarise us to the material that will be used in the ritornellic sections, so that we get a sense of return at each of these. Technically, therefore, the ritornello sections should only include themes that are introduced in the Prelude. In practice, however, Mozart allows himself to sometimes vary even this rule. For example, in Piano Concerto No. 19, the first ritornello introduces a new theme, which, however, plays only a minor linking role between the restatements of the first theme.

The prelude is invariably rich in thematic material, with as many as six or more well-defined themes being introduced. However, the concertos fall into two rather marked groups as to what sort of themes they possess. The most popular concertos, such as Nos 19, 20, 21 and 23 tend to have well marked themes. However, another group, such as Nos 11, 16, 22 and 27, the themes are less marked, and the overall effect is of homogeneity. As Mozart's art progressed, these themes sometimes become less strophic in nature, i.e., he binds them together into a more unified whole.

In addition to the ritornello thematic material, Mozart's mature concertos nearly all introduce new thematic material in the piano exposition, the exceptions being K. 488 in A major, which, however, follows an unusual course after this, and K. 537. Hutchings recognises these by labeling ritornellic themes A, B, C etc., and expositional themes x, y etc. Mostly these are first introduced by the piano; but sometimes (e.g., theme y of No. 19) the orchestra plays this role. Sometimes the exposition starts with one of these new themes (in piano concertos Nos. 9, 20, 22, 24 and 25), but the exposition can also start by restating one of the preludial themes.



Mozart's themes are cunningly employed, so that they fit together in various ways. Despite the formal advances in the prelude, the themes are often later used in different orders, so that a scheme of a prelude ABCDE might later become ABADA or somesuch. Some of the so-called "ritornellic" material of the prelude might indeed never appear again, or only at the end. For example, in piano concerto no. 19 in F, theme C never appears again, while E and F only appear to close the entire movement. This flexibility is of particular importance in the recapitulation, which, though it invariably commences with a restatement of the first preludial theme, is no mere repetition of the preludial themes. Rather, it condenses and varies them so that the listener is not tired by simple reproduction. The genius of Mozart's mature movements, therefore, is to be able to manipulate a mass of thematic material without compromising the broader scale conception; and the listener, rather than being given the impression of "fiddling" with all the themes, instead is left with the ritornellic impression: Mozart truly uses "art to conceal art".


Because Mozart was developing the form of his concertos as he wrote them, and not following any preconceived "rules" (apart, presumably, from his own judgement of taste), many of the concertos contravene one or other of the generalisations given above. For example, K. 488 in A major lacks new expositional material, and "merely" repeats the preludial material; further, it effectively merges the first ritornello and the middle section, as does K. 449 in E flat. Several of the later concertos do not hesitate to introduce new material in the supposedly "ritornellic" sections, such as in K. 459, 488 and 491, or, indeed, in the middle section (K. 453, K. 459, K. 488).

Second movement structure[edit]


K. 175: Sonata form
K. 238: Aria-sonata
K. 242: Sonata
K. 246: Aria
K. 271: Aria
K. 365: Binary dialogue
K. 413: strophic binary aria
K. 414: strophic binary aria
K. 415: Ternary with coda
K. 449: strophic binary aria
K. 450: Variations with coda
K. 451: Rondo
K. 453: Aria (Sonata)
K. 456: Variations
K. 459: Sonata (but without development)
K. 466: Romanza (Rondo)
K. 467: Irregular
K. 482: Variations
K. 488: Ternary
K. 491: Romanza (Rondo)
K. 503: Sonata without development
K. 537: Romanza
K. 595: Romanza


Third movement structure[edit]

Mozart's third movements are generally in the form of a rondo, the customary, rather light structure for the period. However, two of his most important finales, that to K. 453, and to K. 491, are in variation form, and both these are generally considered among his best. In addition, three more concertos, K. 450, 451 and 467 can be regarded as being in rondo-sonata form, with the second theme modulating to the dominant or relative major. However, the simple refrain-episode-refrain-episode-refrain structure of a rondo does not escape Mozart's revising attentions. The difficulty for Mozart with the typical rondo structure is that it is naturally strophic; i.e., the structure is divided into a series of highly differentiated and distinct sections. However, such a structure does not lend itself to creating an overall unity in the movement, and Mozart thus attempts various ways (with greater or lesser success) to overcome this problem. For example, he may have complex first themes (K. 595), contrapuntal treatment (K. 459), or rhythmic and other variation of the theme itself (K. 449). In general, Mozart's third movements are as varying as his first, and their relation to a "rondo" is sometimes as slender as having a first tune (refrain) that returns.

Similar works by other composers[edit]


Performance considerations[edit]



Mozart's concertos were performed in his lifetime in a variety of settings, and the orchestra available no doubt varied from place to place. The more intimate works, for example, K. 413–415, were ideal for performance in the salon of an aristocratic music-lover: Mozart himself advertised them as possible to play "a quattro", i. e. with just a string quartet accompanying the piano. In larger settings, such as halls or the theatre (or indeed, outdoors), larger orchestral forces were possible, and indeed a requirement for the more richly scored concertos such as K. 503. In particular, the later concertos have a wind band that is absolutely integral to the music. An extant theatre almanac from 1782, from the Burgtheater in Vienna, suggests that, for the theatre, there were 35 members of the orchestra, e.g., six first and six second violins; four violas, three cellos, three basses, pairs of flutes, clarinets, oboes and bassoons, horns and trumpets, with a timpanist.[7]


Fortepiano by Paul McNulty after Walter & Sohn, ca. 1805



Continuo role[edit]




Mozart's fame as an improviser (see next section) have led many to suggest that the cadenzas and Eingänge ("lead-ins": i. e. brief cadenza-like passages leading into returns of the main theme in a rondo) were extensively improvised by him during performance. However, against this must be set the fact that Mozart's own cadenzas are preserved for the majority of the concertos, and may have existed for others (e.g., the now missing cadenzas for Nos. 20, K. 466 and No 21, K. 467 are possibly mentioned by his father in letters to his sister in 1785[11]). On the other hand, the cadenzas were not supplied as part of the concerto to the publishers, and it would no doubt have been expected that other pianists would supply their own. As might be expected, opinion is sharply divided, with some commentators (notably Hutchings) strongly urging the use of Mozart's own cadenzas when available, and when not for cadenzas to be like Mozart's, especially as far as length goes (i. e. short). The sorts of problems that exist are exemplified by the cadenzas written by the young Beethoven for No. 20 in D minor (which has no extant Mozart cadenzas); Hutchings complains that although they are the best option available, the genius of Beethoven shines through them and, by implication, this makes them a "piece within a piece" that tends to distract from the unity of the movements as a whole.[12]


Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the concertos is the extent to which Mozart (or other contemporary performers) would have embellished the piano part as written in the score. Mozart's own ability to improvise was famous, and he often played from very sketchy piano parts. Furthermore, there are several very "bare" parts in the concerto scores that have led some to deduce that the performer is meant to improvise embellishments at these points, the most notorious being towards the end of the F sharp minor second movement of No. 23 in A major (K. 488) (the end of the first subject of the second movement of No. 24 in C minor, K. 491 is another example). Manuscript evidence exists to suggest that embellishment did occur (e.g., an embellished version of the slow movement of No. 23, apparently by his gifted pupil Barbara Ployer). In 1840, evidence was published from two brothers, Philipp Karl and Heinrich Anton Hoffmann, who had heard Mozart perform two concertos, Nos 19 and 26 (K. 459 and K. 537) in Frankfurt am Main in 1790. Philip Karl reported that Mozart embellished his slow movements "tenderly and tastefully once one way, once another according to the momentary inspiration of his genius",[citation needed] and he later (1803) published embellished Mozart slow movements to six of his later concertos (K. 467, K. 482, K. 488, K. 491, K. 503 and K. 595). Mozart himself wrote to his sister in 1784 agreeing with her that something was missing in the slow movement of K. 451, and an embellished part of the passage in question is preserved in St Peters Archabbey, Salzburg (see location of autographs below); presumably the part he sent her. Mozart also wrote embellished versions of several of his piano sonatas, including the Durnitz Sonata, K. 284/205b; the slow movement of K. 332/300k; and the slow movement of K. 457. In all of these works, the embellishments appear in the first editions published under Mozart's guidance, with the suggestion that they represent examples of embellishments for lesser pianists than himself to follow. However, to many admirers of the concertos, it is exactly these sparse points that are so beautiful, and the establishment of the autographs as the texts for the concertos has made many pianists reluctant to depart from them. Nevertheless, the existence of these Mozartian additions, and of several other embellished versions published early in the 19th century suggests that the expectation would be that especially slow movements would be embellished according to the taste or skill of the performer, and thus that the versions most commonly heard today would not reflect how the original listeners in general experienced these works.

Assessment and reception[edit]

The 19th Century[edit]


Fuller, post-1900 assessment[edit]

The D minor concerto has remained highly appreciated, but it now shares honors with many other of the concertos. Mozart's development of the piano concerto created a complex form that was arguably never surpassed. Of the later composers (especially after Beethoven, who noted Mozartian procedure) only Brahms paid attention to his classicism as expressed in the formal structure of these works. Their value as music and popularity does not, naturally enough, rest upon their formal structure though, but on the musical content. Mozart's piano concertos are filled with assured transition passages, modulations, dissonances, Neapolitan relationships and suspensions. This technical skill, combined with a complete command of his (admittedly rather limited) orchestral resources, in particular of the woodwind in the later concertos, allowed him to create a variety of moods at will, from the comic operatic nature of the end of K. 453, through to the dream-like state of the famous "Elvira Madigan" Andante from K. 467, through to the majestic expansiveness of his "emperor" concerto, K. 503. In particular, these major works of Mozart could hardly fail to be influenced by his own first love, i. e., opera, and the Mozart of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte is found throughout them. Mozart clearly valued the concertos, some of which he guarded carefully. For example, No. 23 was not published in his lifetime, and the score was kept within his family and close circle of friends, whom he asked not to give it away.

The qualities of the piano concertos have become more fully appreciated in the last 50 years or so. The list of notable names that have contributed cadenzas to the concertos (e.g., Beethoven, Hummel, Landowska, Britten, Brahms, Schnittke etc.) attests to this fact. Beethoven was clearly impressed by them: even if the anecdotal story about his comments to Ferdinand Ries about no. 24 is legendary, his concerto no. 3 was clearly inspired by Mozart's no. 24, and his entire concerto production took its point of departure as the Mozartian concept.



The first four concertos are only orchestrations of works by other composers; Gutmann calls these "juvenilia." Gutmann also calls "simplistic" the Concerto for three (or two) pianos and orchestra. With these exceptions, Gutmann writes of Mozart that "all of his mature concertos have been acclaimed as masterpieces".[14] For example, he says Mozart liked his first original concerto, his fifth, K. 175, written at age 17, and performed it through the rest of his life..[14]


DGG: Mozart Die Klavierkonzerte. Camerata Academica des Salzburger Mozarteums. Solist und Dirigent Geza Anda. – Full set sans Nos 7 and 10. DGG Ref 2720030.
Naxos: Concentus Hungaricus, conducted Andras Ligeti, Matyas Antal and Ildiko Hegyi, played by Jeno Jando. Nos 7 and 10 have Denes Varjon as the other pianist (No. 7 in the arrangement for 2 pianos).
Sony: English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Murray Perahia, played by Murray Perahia. Nos 7 and 10 have Radu Lupu as the extra pianist (No. 7 in the arrangement for 2 pianos).
Decca: Camerata Academica, conducted by Sandor Vegh, played by András Schiff. Lacks Nos 1–4 and the double/triple concertos.
Decca: Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted and played by Vladimir Ashkenazy. Double/triple concertos with English Chamber Orchestra.
EMI Classics: English Chamber Orchestra, conducted and played by Daniel Barenboim. Lacks the 2 and 3 piano concertos.
Brilliant Classics: Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Paul Freeman, played by Derek Han. No. 10 for two pianos: Zoltán Kocsis and Dezső Ránki; No. 7 for three: Zoltán Kocsis, Dezső Ránki and András Schiff (nos 7 and 10 Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Janos Ferencsik).
Philips (Complete Mozart edition): Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner. Played by Alfred Brendel. Imogen Cooper is the extra pianist in Nos 7 and 10. Concertos 1–4: Vienna Capella Academica, conducted by Eduard Melkus. Played by Ingrid Haebler. Also has the three arrangements of sonatas by J.C. Bach (K. 107/1, 2 and 3).
Philips: English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jeffrey Tate, played by Mitsuko Uchida. Lacks Nos 1–4 and the double and triple concertos.

Notable fortepiano recordings include:

Archiv: English Baroque Soloists, conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, played by Malcom Bilson, with Melvyn Tan and Robert Levin for the double/triple concertos. Nos 1–4 available under the brand of MusicMasters Classics with Thomas Crawford as conductor and Orchestra of the Old Fairfield Academy
Channel Classics: Anima Eterna Orchestra, conducted and played by Jos van Immerseel. Lacks Nos 1–4 and the double/triple concertos.
Classical Express: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Nicholas McGegan, played by Melvyn Tan (Nos 18–19).
Virgin: New Mozart Ensemble, played by Melvyn Tan (Nos 9 and 27).
L'Oiseau-Lyre: Academy of Ancient Music, conducted by Christopher Hogwood, played by Robert Levin.
EtCetera: Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense, conducted by Tadeusz Karolak, played by Viviana Sofronitsky. Incl. double/triple concertos and the early harpsichord concertos.

The piano concertos in films[edit]


Sound clips[edit]

  • Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, First Movement, allegro About this sound [[:Media:|listen]] 

Location of autographs of the concertos[edit]

The autographs of the concertos owned by Mozart's widow were purchased by Johann Anton André in 1799, and most of these passed into the collections of the Prussian State Library in Berlin in 1873. Other autographs owned by Otto Jahn had been acquired in 1869. A few parts of André's collection remained for a long time in private hands; hence, in 1948 when Hutchings compiled the whereabouts of the autographs, two (Nos 6 and 21) were in the hands of the Wittgenstein family in Vienna, whilst No. 5 was owned by F. A. Grassnick in Berlin and No. 26 by D. N. Heinemann in Brussels; a few others were scattered around other museums. In the last 50 years, however, all of the extant autographs have made their way into libraries. The entire Prussian State collection of autographs was evacuated during World War II to the eastern front, where they disappeared and were feared lost until the 1970s. At this point they resurfaced in Poland and are now held in the Jagiellońska Library in Kraków. In addition, various copies used by Mozart and his family have come to light. The list of locations of the autographs given by Cliff Eisen[16] in 1997 is:

K. 450: Thüringische Landesbibliothek, Weimar, Germany.
K. 453: Jagiellońska Library, Kraków.
K. 456: Jagiellońska Library, Kraków.
K. 459: Jagiellońska Library, Kraków.
K. 467: Pierpont Morgan Library, New York.
K. 482: Jagiellońska Library, Kraków.
K. 488: Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.
K. 491: Royal College of Music, London.
K. 503: Jagiellońska Library, Kraków.
K. 595: Jagiellońska Library, Kraków.


K. 271: Two for each movement.
K. 365: First and third movements.
K. 413: First and second movements.
K. 414: All movements, two for second.
K. 415: All movements.
K. 449: First movement.
K. 450: First and third movements.
K. 451: First and third movements.
K. 453: Two for first and second movements.
K. 459: First and third movements.
K. 595: First and third movements.


These cadenzas are part of the public domain and can be accessed here:,_K.624_%28Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus%29


  2. ^ Mozart retained his links with the Mannheim musicians that he had established in his visits in 1777/1778, with one result being that his first great opera Idomeneo premiered in Munich in 1781: Charles Theodore commissioned it for a court carnival. For a biography of Fränzl, see [1], and for a discussion of the incomplete concerto including why it was not completed, see [2]
  14. ^ a b c Peter Gutmann


  • Mozart, W. A. Piano Concerto No. 26 in D Major ("Coronation"), K. 537—The Autograph Score. (NY: The Pierpont Morgan Library in association with Dover Publications, 1991). ISBN 0-486-26747-4.