Mozart

KANONISCHES ADAGIO
k 410/484d

Arranged for wind quintet by Jesper Jerkert

SCORE IN C
For wind quintet by the same arranger:
» Jerkert: Suite di fugati in stile antico
» Dvořák: Serenade for wind instruments, op. 44
» Mozart: Overture to Le nozze di Figaro
» Mozart: Overture to Die Zauberflöte
» Mozart: Overture to Così fan tutte
» Mozart: Kanonisches Adagio, k 410/484d
» Mendelssohn: Trauer-Marsch (Funeral March), op. 103
» Aulin: Fyra akvareller (Four Water-Colours)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791): Kanonisches Adagio

für 2 Bassetthörner und Fagott (Adagio in F), k 410/484d. Arranged for
wind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet in B[ , French horn in F, bassoon)
by Jesper Jerkert (1975– ). Original key: F major. Score in C. With an
introductory note by the arranger.

This arrangement is published under the Creative Commons cc by-

nd 4.0 licence. It means, among other things, that no special per-
mission or fee is required for its performance, copying, or distri-
bution. However, you have to attribute the work and you are not
allowed to republish or distribute a modified version without explicit
permission from the arranger, who may be contacted by email at
jesper@jerkert.se. On the licence, see https://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by-nd/4.0/.

Typeset by the arranger with LilyPond (music) and LATEX (other text).

Published by Jesper Jerkert, Stockholm, 2018.

ismn: 979-0-706903-16-3 (score).

The parts share the following ismn: 979-0-706903-17-0.
M
ozart composed a number of ample, if voice I leaps upwards a third, voice II
small pieces for wind instruments: will leap downwards a third in the correspond-
duos, trios, etc. The dating of the ing place (i.e., two bars later). This is known
present piece—in the Alte Mozart-Ausgabe as a canon by inversion, or a mirror canon,
named Kanonisches Adagio, but in the Neue because a certain tone will act as a mirror.
Mozart-Ausgabe presented simply as Adagio Here, the third of the key is the mirror tone.
in F—is uncertain. The NMA states “vielleicht In the present arrangement in A[ major, then,
Wien, Ende 1785” (nma viii/21:120), whereas C is the mirror. Any tone appearing at a cer-
Roger Hellyer gives “Vienna, probably 1782”, tain distance above C in voice I will thus be
adding that this is supported by Alan Tyson’s transformed to a tone at the corresponding
ground-breaking paper type analysis (Hellyer, distance below C in voice II, and vice versa.
1996:286). In the present arrangement, which is
Alfred Einstein, the great Mozart scholar, scored for more instruments than the origi-
thought that the piece had a Masonic con- nal, it has been deemed necessary to break up
nection and was part of a “complete instru- the original two canonic voices to allow for a
mental lodge ritual” (Einstein, 1962:351). On fairly even distribution of the material among
the other hand, a later biographer, Wolfgang the four upper instruments (flute, oboe, clar-
Hildesheimer, assigns the piece to a group of inet, and French horn). This has been done
compositions written “for no particular rea- principally in the following manner: an in-
son other than joy in the inexhaustible game strument is given the music from two bars of
itself”, and imagines that it was “perhaps com- voice I, immediately followed by music from
posed in a few happy minutes” (Hildesheimer, two bars of voice II. The instrument will then
1982:179, 180). Roger Hellyer, finally, agrees have a rest of four bars. With a delay of two
that the piece was written “for no known pur- bars, four more bars of music are assigned
pose” but adds that its formal nature suggests to another instrument according to the same
that it was conceived “with some ceremonial principle. The consequence of this reconstruc-
use in mind” (Hellyer, 1996:286, 284). Any tion is that within each four-bar period of mu-
intended “ceremonial use” may have been Ma- sic in a particular instrument, the first two
sonic, but not with necessity if the 1782 dat- bars are inverted in the last two bars. The
ing is correct, since Mozart did not become tone C is always the mirror, but in different
a Freemason until December 1784 (Robbins octaves depending on the instrument: C3 in
Landon, 1989:122). In commercially available the flute, C2 in the oboe and in the clarinet,
recordings of Mozart’s complete Masonic mu- and C1 in the French horn. The bassoon part
sic, the piece is often included. has been retained from the original and is thus
Whatever its original purpose, the Kanon- not part of the canonic development.
isches Adagio, originally in F major, is a canon To make better use of all five instruments
in voices I and II (basset horns), with an inde- available, the arranger has added a few tones
pendent voice III (bassoon). With a length of not found in the original. In bars 18–21, the
only 27 bars, the duration is a mere minute, music played by the horn has been added, still
or slightly more. In the original composition, abiding by the rule that the first two bars are
voice II imitates voice I with a delay of two inverted in the last two, with C as mirror. The
bars, and with all intervals inverted. For ex- horn music in bars 23–25 has been added, too,

ismn 979-0-706903-16-3 kanonisches adagio 3

but here the inversion is shorter: bar 23 is
inverted in bar 24. Finally, in bars 25–26 the
flute tones F and low E[ have been added, as
have the horn tones in bar 26. The counter-
point is breaking down near the end of the
piece, so the additions in bars 25–26 are not
part of any canonic development.
The arranger
References
Einstein, Alfred (1962). Mozart: His Character, His
Work, translated by Arthur Mendel and Nathan
Broder. New York: Oxford University Press
(first English edition published in 1945).
4 mozart
Hellyer, Roger (1996). Chamber music: Harmo-
niemusik and other works for multiple wind
instruments. In H. C. Robbins Landon (ed.),
The Mozart Compendium: A Guide to Mozart’s
Life and Music. London: Thames and Hudson
(paperback edition), 283–287.
Hildesheimer, Wolfgang (1982). Mozart, translated
by Marion Faber. New York: Farrar, Straus and
Giroux.
NMA [Neue Mozart-Ausgabe] Serie viii Werk-
gruppe 21: Duos und Trios für Streicher und
Bläser, edited by Dietrich Berke and Marius
Flothuis. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1975.
Robbins Landon, H. C. (1989). Mozart. De gyllene
åren [Swedish edition of Mozart: The Golden
Years], translated by Ylva Stålmarck. Stock-
holm: Norstedts.
ismn 979-0-706903-16-3
 Kanonisches Adagio
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), K410/484d , arr. Jesper Jerkert
  Adagio
Flauto
  E    

 
Oboe
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p
 
Clar. (Do)
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p
   
Corno (Do)
  E 

      
    
8


 
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4   
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8

    
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7
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ismn 979-0-706903-16-3 kanonisches adagio 5

 
   



10

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16

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6 mozart ismn 979-0-706903-16-3

    

 
19

Fl
p cresc.

Ob
  
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Cl
   
fp 
 
Cor
 
   
8

    
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cresc.

 



22

Fl
p cresc. p
    
Ob
››
p p
   
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p cresc.
p


 
Cor
  
8
p
   
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p f

 


    
25

Fl  
cresc. p p
 
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cresc. p
 
Cl
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cresc. p
 
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p

8

      
Fag
  
cresc. p

ismn 979-0-706903-16-3 kanonisches adagio 7