Scene for Schikaneder’s *Peter der Grausame* (fragment), K. 365a (A major)
ヴォルフガング・アマデウス・モーツァルト作
Mozart’s Scene for Schikaneder’s “Peter der Grausame” (fragment), K. 365a, is an unfinished accompanied recitative and aria in A major, written in November 1780 while he was in the Munich–Salzburg orbit. Only a single autograph leaf of full score survives, yet it offers a vivid glimpse of Mozart’s stage instinct at age 24.
What Is Known
The surviving music is catalogued as K. 365a, an uncompleted scene—accompanied recitative and aria—for soprano and orchestra in A major, with the incipit text “Wie grausam ist, o Liebe, nicht dein Spiel” / “Die neugeborne Ros entzückt.” It is explicitly linked in modern cataloguing to Emanuel Schikaneder’s Singspiel Peter der Grausame and is dated to 9–23 November 1780, when Mozart was moving between Munich and Salzburg. A first performance is recorded for 1 December 1780 at the Fürsterzbischöfliches Hoftheater in Salzburg. What survives is an autograph full score consisting of one leaf (“Partitur: 1 Bl.”), and the work is described as a fragment rather than a complete insertion. [1]
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Musical Content
Even in fragmentary form, the page implies a theatrical design typical of Mozart’s concert scenes: an accompanied recitative (recitativo accompagnato) leading into an aria, with the orchestra shaping the emotional turns rather than merely underpinning the voice. The scoring given in specialist listings points to a compact late-1780 orchestral palette—woodwinds, horns, and strings—suggesting music intended for a capable theatre band rather than a purely domestic occasion. In the context of late 1780, such writing sits neatly alongside Mozart’s fast-maturing operatic language on the eve of Idomeneo (premiered January 1781): direct vocal declamation, sharply profiled harmonic motion, and an increasingly “symphonic” role for the accompaniment. [2]
[1] International Mozarteum Foundation, Köchel Catalogue entry for KV 365a (status, dating, key, first performance, and surviving autograph leaf).
[2] Mozart Studies Online (compiled reference page summarizing instrumentation/source situation for K. 365a).