The Milanese Quartets, K. 155–160, are a set of six

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

s composed by

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

in late 1772 and early 1773 when he was sixteen and seventeen years old. They are called 'Milanese' because Mozart composed them in Milan while he was working on his opera '' Lucio Silla''. Before this set was composed, Mozart had written one earlier

( K. 80/73f in 1770), so these six quartets are numbered from No. 2 to No. 7. The quartets are written in a plan of keys of D–G–C–F–B–E following the

circle of fourths In music theory, the circle of fifths (sometimes also cycle of fifths) is a way of organizing pitches as a sequence of perfect fifths. Starting on a C, and using the standard system of tuning for Western music (12-tone equal temperament), the se ...

. All six quartets have only three

movement Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...

s. Four of the quartets (K. 156–159) have middle movements in the

minor mode In Western classical music theory, the minor scale refers to three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending). These scales contain all th ...

, one of which (K. 159) is, unusually, not a slow movement, but a fiery sonata–allegro. The finales are generally lightweight, whether in the form of

minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually written in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form tha ...

s or

rondo The rondo or rondeau is a musical form that contains a principal theme (music), theme (sometimes called the "refrain") which alternates with one or more contrasting themes (generally called "episodes", but also referred to as "digressions" or "c ...

s. The sixth edition of the

Köchel catalogue The Köchel catalogue () is a catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, originally created by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel, in which the entries are abbreviated ''K.'' or ''KV''. Its numbers reflect the ongoing task of compiling the chro ...

, published in 1964, amended the catalogue numbers of the first two quartets to K. 134a and 134b, respectively, and the last quartet to K. 159a. The autograph manuscript of the quartets is preserved in the

Berlin State Library The Berlin State Library (; officially abbreviated as ''SBB'', colloquially ''Stabi'') is a universal library in Berlin, Germany, and a property of the German public cultural organization the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (). Founded in ...

No. 2 in D major, K. 155

Written in the autumn of 1772 in

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

. #''Allegro'' #''Andante'' in

A major A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The A major scale is: Changes needed for the ...

#''Molto allegro''

No. 3 in G major, K. 156

Written at the end of 1772 in Milan. #''Presto'' #''Adagio'' in E minor #''Tempo di Menuetto'' – Trio in G minor

No. 4 in C major, K. 157

Written at the end of 1772 in Milan and premiered in early 1773. #''Allegro'' #''Andante'' in

C minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: Cha ...

#''Presto''

No. 5 in F major, K. 158

Written and premiered in early 1773 in Milan. #''Allegro'' #''Andante un poco allegretto'' in

A minor A minor is a minor scale based on A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative major is C major and its parallel major is A major. The A natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic ...

#''Tempo di Menuetto - Trio in F minor''

No. 6 in B-flat major, K. 159

Written and premiered in early 1773 in Milan. #''Andante'' #''Allegro'' in G minor #''Rondo allegro grazioso''

No. 7 in E-flat major, K. 160

Written and premiered in early 1773 in Milan. The second movement is remarkable for its non-tonic opening. #''Allegro'' #''Un poco adagio'' in

A-flat major A-flat major is a major scale based on A♭ (musical note), A, with the pitches A, B♭ (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D♭ (musical note), D, E♭ (musical note), E, F (musical note), F, and G (musical note), G. Its key signature has fou ...

#''Presto''

Notes

External links

* 6 Quartette; vl (2), vla, vlc; KV 155-160
Mozart's autograph in the Berlin State Library
* * * * * * * String quartets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1772 compositions 1773 compositions {{chamber-composition-stub