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Musical Joke, A, K. 522 (Ein Musikalischer Spass)
Composers:- Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Duration: 22
Description:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756-1791) EIN MUSIKALISCHER SPAß (A MUSICAL JOKE), K. 522, premiered in Vienna on June 14, 1787. Written for two violins, viola, bass, and two horns, this humorous divertimento parodies the blunders of less-skilled composers, featuring clumsy counterpoint, awkward modulations, out-of-tune horn passages, and a famously chaotic ending rife with harmonic missteps. While lighthearted on the surface, the piece also serves as a sly commentary on musical conventions and mediocrity in late 18th-century music. Today, A MUSICAL JOKE occupies a unique niche in Mozart’s oeuvre—it is often programmed as a comic interlude in chamber concerts or educational settings, appreciated both for its wit and its insight into Classical-era musical norms. Instrumentation: 0.0.0.0: 2.0.0.0: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set). Reprint edition.
