“Bläserstücke verschiedener Besetzung” (lost), K. 41b
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart’s “Bläserstücke verschiedener Besetzung” (K. 41b) is a lost set of wind pieces, tentatively dated to 1767 in Salzburg, when he was 11. Surviving references suggest a small ceremonial wind/brass scoring, but the work’s authorship is generally treated as doubtful or possibly spurious.
Mozart's Life at the Time
In 1767 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was back in Salzburg after extended childhood travels, composing alongside his father, Leopold Mozart, for the city’s courtly and ecclesiastical milieu [1]. A handful of catalogue entries from this period point to occasional, functional music for local players—music that could be written quickly, tried out informally, and (in some cases) not preserved with the care given to larger commissions [1].
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Musical Character
No score survives for K. 41b, and even the exact instrumentation is not securely established. One modern compilation reports a scoring of 2 trumpets, 2 horns, and 2 basset horns, which would place the sound world closer to outdoor or festive court music than to the later, more elaborate Salzburg serenades [2]. Given the title (“wind pieces of various scoring”) and the doubtful status often attached to such lost items, K. 41b is best understood as a possible, short divertimento-like group of pieces—if it was Mozart’s at all—rather than a single, fixed, performable work in the modern sense [1].
[1] Mozarteum Foundation (Köchel Verzeichnis) entry: KV 41b,01 – “Many pieces” for wind instruments (lost; basic catalogue data and status).
[2] Christopher Johnson, DMA document (Kansas State University): table listing K. 41b with reported scoring (2 tpt/2 hn/2 basset hn), Salzburg, 1767.