Divertimento in E♭ major for winds (doubtful), K. 196e
沃尔夫冈·阿马德乌斯·莫扎特
The Divertimento in E♭ major for winds (K. 196e) is a work of doubtful authenticity, traditionally dated to 1774, whose surviving traces suggest a multi-instrument wind divertimento in Mozart’s orbit rather than a securely documented composition. Even so, its E♭-major, open-air conviviality places it close in spirit to the Salzburg-era serenade and divertimento tradition for courtly and civic occasions.
Background and Context
The Divertimento in E♭ major for winds (K. 196e) is generally transmitted as a doubtful or spurious item: its provenance is unclear, and modern reference lists tend to treat the attribution to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) with caution.[1] A 1774 date is often attached to the entry, but without a securely documented place of composition; in those years Mozart was primarily active in Salzburg, writing a mixture of church music, instrumental pieces, and works for the theatre, and he had already shown a strong instinct for wind writing in divertimento/serenade genres.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Musical Character
Because the source situation for K. 196e is murky, modern descriptions of “what is on the page” tend to begin with scoring rather than with detailed movement-by-movement analysis. Several library/catalog listings circulate the piece as a divertimento for ten winds—commonly given as 2 oboes, 2 B♭ clarinets, 2 bassoons, and 2 horns (in E♭).[2] In that instrumentation, E♭ major is a practical and idiomatic choice: it flatters the natural horns and supports the warm, blended sonority of paired reeds.
Within Mozart’s broader wind-divertimento world, an E♭-major “Harmonie”-type divertimento typically alternates ceremonial brightness with more intimate, songlike writing—often in clear periodic phrases and with conversational handoffs between oboes/clarinets against a bassoon-led foundation. Yet for K. 196e, the lack of widely accessible, well-attested musical text makes it prudent to limit claims to such genre-based expectations rather than specific thematic or formal details.
Place in the Catalog
K. 196e sits at the periphery of the Mozart canon: it continues to be listed among doubtful attributions in modern reference compilations, and it is frequently encountered today as KV Anh. 226 in cataloging and publishing contexts.[3]
[1] Wikipedia — Köchel catalogue entry table including K. 196e (Divertimento in E-flat for winds, doubtful).
[2] CiNii Books — catalog record giving scoring for “Divertimento Es dur KV app. 226” (2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns).
[3] Presto Music — sheet-music listing for “Mozart: Divertimento in Es KV Anh.226,” reflecting the doubtful/spurious transmission under Anh. 226 / K. 196e.