Notturno for Two Sopranos and Bass, “Mi lagnerò tacendo” (G major), K. Anh.A 47.04
von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Notturno (trio) “Mi lagnerò tacendo” (K. Anh.A 47.04; also listed as K. 437) is a short Viennese vocal piece, probably from around 1783, on a text associated with Gottfried von Jacquin. Scored for two sopranos and bass with wind accompaniment, it belongs to the cultivated, domestic music-making of Mozart’s Vienna years—though its authorship is not secure.
Background and Context
In Vienna around 1783, Mozart (aged 27) was newly married and increasingly active in private circles that valued intimate vocal ensemble music alongside larger public genres. “Mi lagnerò tacendo” survives as a Notturno (a night-piece for voices with instruments) for two sopranos and bass, linked in modern catalogues to Gottfried von Jacquin as the named poet/associate for the text and to Mozart as the traditional composer attribution.[1] Because the work’s transmission is limited and the attribution is treated as doubtful in modern reference listings, it is best understood as a document of Mozart’s milieu—close to the Jacquin household’s musical salon culture—rather than as a securely authenticated “major” work.[1]
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Musical Character
The scoring is distinctive: three vocal lines (S, S, B) accompanied by two clarinets and basset horn, producing a soft-grained, mellow timbre well suited to an evening Notturno.[1] In G major, the piece reads as a compact, lyrical ensemble number (“terzetto”) in which the sopranos often move in consonant partnership above a grounding bass—more conversational than operatic, and aimed at blend rather than virtuoso display.[2] The text Mi lagnerò tacendo (“I shall lament in silence”) encourages restrained affect; correspondingly, the writing favors smooth phrases and an intimate dynamic world, letting the clarinets and basset horn color the vocal harmony rather than compete with it.[3]
[1] Mozarteum (Köchel Catalogue Online): KV Anh. A 47,04 work entry with scoring and catalogue context.
[2] IMSLP work page: “Mi lagnerò tacendo”, K. 437/Anh.A 47/04 (metadata, available scores/parts).
[3] LiederNet: text listing for Mozart’s Sechs Nocturnos including “Mi lagnerò tacendo” (text source noted).