A Questionable Canon
The Misattribution of Mozart’s K.2 89a (K.6 73i)
K.2 89a (K.6 73i) is no grand work of genius, but rather a simple canon exercise for four sopranos. Its problems range from missing voices and unresolved harmonies to a lack of text, suggesting it’s a poorly copied version of an earlier work.
Modern editors have tried to patch it up, but can we really still call this a work by Mozart? It’s time to question whether it belongs in his catalogue at all.
Mozart: The Fall of the Gods
This book compiles the results of our studies on 18th-century music and Mozart, who has been revered for over two centuries as a deity. We dismantle the baseless cult of Mozart and strip away the clichés that falsely present him as a natural genius, revealing the contradictions in conventional biographies. In this work, divided into two parts, we identify and critically analyze several contradictory points in the vast Mozart bibliography. Each of the nearly 2,000 citations is meticulously sourced, allowing readers to verify the findings. This critical biography of Mozart emerges from these premises, addressing the numerous doubts raised by researchers.
"A copy with missing voices and incomplete harmonies—Mozart would have known better."
Mozart: The Fall of the Gods
K.2 89a (K.6 73i), attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, is a simple canon exercise in A major for four sopranos in unison. This piece closely resembles the Kyrie K.89, which is also written for four sopranos in unison. However, unlike the Kyrie, which serves a clear liturgical purpose, K.2 89a (K.6 73i) seems more like an incomplete experiment.
In this supposed composition, Mozart wrote only six measures for four voices. The piece is stagnant, with no modulations as it remains firmly in A major throughout. There is an overwhelming amount of repetition, suggesting a lack of imagination, even if one were to excuse it as a contrappuntal exercise.
This is where things become problematic. Although Wolfgang arranged the piece for four voices, the canon actually requires five to achieve complete harmonies. Without a fifth voice, the piece sounds incomplete, leaving discordant gaps that Mozart, if he had composed it, would surely have recognized.
The fifth voice is not indicated in the original manuscript, yet modern editors, including the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (NMA), have added it in parentheses. This fifth voice logically enters at measure 13, filling the incomplete harmonies that otherwise sound weak. Curiously, Mozart left the final three measures filled with pauses, which suggests he may not have fully solved the harmonic puzzle presented by the canon.
Moreover, Amadé didn’t bother writing out any text, leaving many notes in a disjointed state, as though he were copying from an original source that had syllables of text he ignored. In an attempt to fill this void, modern editions have introduced whimsical verses, such as:
“Hei, wenn die Gläser klingen, so lasst uns alle fröhlich sein, und lasst uns lustig singen, ja singen ja lustig singen, am Tisch beim kühlen Wein.”
(“Hey, when the glasses clink, let’s all be merry and sing happily, sing sing joyfully, at the table with cool wine.”)
Breitkopf’s edition, unlike the NMA, corrected the canon by discreetly adding the fifth voice without explicitly saying so, transforming the piece into a Kanon für 5 Stimmen (canon for five voices) to make it more marketable.
Given that this is clearly a poorly resolved copy of a canon by an anonymous author, with Mozart forgetting the fifth soprano’s entrance, it should neither be considered an original composition nor included in his official catalogue.
You May Also Like
#2 The Hidden Truth of Mozart’s Education
In this video, we uncover the hidden truth behind Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s early education and challenge the long-held belief in his effortless genius. While history often celebrates Mozart as a child prodigy, effortlessly composing music from a young age, the reality is far more complex.
The London Notebook
The London Notebook exposes the limitations of young Mozart’s compositional skills and questions the myth of his early genius. His simplistic pieces, fraught with errors, reveal a child still grappling with fundamental musical concepts.
The Mozart Question
In this revealing interview, we delve into the lesser-known aspects of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s life, challenging the long-standing myth of his genius. A Swedish journalist explores how Mozart’s legacy has been shaped and manipulated over time, shedding light on the crucial role played by his father, Leopold, in crafting the career of the famed composer.
Georg Nissen and the Missing Notebooks
After Mozart's death, his widow, Constanze, found a steadfast partner in Georg Nikolaus von Nissen, a Danish diplomat who dedicated his life to preserving the composer's legacy. Nissen not only compiled an extensive biography of Mozart but also uncovered and...
Letters Under Surveillance
In a world without privacy, Leopold Mozart’s letters were carefully crafted not just to inform but to manipulate perceptions. His correspondence reveals a calculated effort to elevate his family’s status while avoiding any mention of failure or controversy.
#3 Leopold Mozart’s Literary Theft
Hidden within the Mozarteum’s archives lies a poem that has long been hailed as a tribute to the young Mozart children. But behind this innocent façade is a story of deception, literary theft, and one father’s ambition to rewrite history.