Violin Sonata in F major (K. 46e)
ヴォルフガング・アマデウス・モーツァルト作
Mozart’s Sonata in F major (K. 46e) is a compact duo from Vienna, dated 1 September 1768, when he was twelve. Preserved in an autograph score, it consists of an opening Allegro followed by two brief minuets, and it belongs to the composer’s earliest surviving writing for violin with a bass line rather than a fully realized keyboard partnership.[1]
Mozart's Life at the Time
In Vienna in 1768, the twelve-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was absorbing the city’s theatrical and instrumental styles while producing a steady stream of occasional works. K. 46e is precisely dated in the Mozarteum catalogue to 1 September 1768, and it survives as an autograph, suggesting a small-scale piece written quickly for immediate use rather than for publication.[1]
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Musical Character
K. 46e is scored simply for violin and bass (typically realized on cello and/or a continuo bass instrument), and its plan is unusually straightforward: three short movements labeled Allegro, Menuetto I, and Menuetto II.[2] On the page, the writing places the violin in clear, singable phrases with regular cadences, while the bass supports the harmony in a functional, accompanimental role—more a foundation than an equal conversational partner. The two minuets, in particular, point to music intended for domestic performance: dance-derived rhythms, balanced four- and eight-bar groupings, and an emphasis on elegance over development.[2] In this sense, the sonata documents an early stage in Mozart’s chamber style, before the richer give-and-take of the mature violin-and-keyboard sonatas of the 1770s and 1780s.
[1] International Mozarteum Foundation, Köchel-Verzeichnis entry for K. 46e (dating, authenticity, scoring, autograph transmission, workparts).
[2] IMSLP work page for Violin Sonata in F major, K. 46e (movement headings; instrumentation as commonly performed/edited; reference to NMA VIII/21 score scan).