Nine Piano Pieces (doubtful), K. 657
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The so‑called Nine Piano Pieces (K. 657), linked in some catalogues to Milan in 1771, belong to a small knot of problematic sources around Ascanio in Alba and its ancillary dance music. Modern reference catalogues treat the attribution as doubtful, and the surviving musical material does not straightforwardly match the idea of an independent “piano set.”
What Is Known
Despite the title often encountered in secondary listings, K. 657 in the Mozarteum’s Köchel database designates fragmentary ballet music associated with *Ascanio in Alba* (K. 111) and is explicitly labeled a work of doubtful authenticity [1]. The entry places the material in Milan, shortly before the festa teatrale’s premiere at the Teatro Regio Ducale on 17 October 1771, when Mozart was fifteen [1]. What survives, however, is not a full orchestral score: the source described is essentially a bass line (in a copyist’s hand) inserted between the two acts of the autograph score, perhaps intended for directing from the keyboard [1]. The Mozart family’s correspondence does not mention this ballet work, and the database therefore cautions that Mozart’s authorship cannot be confirmed [1].
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Confusion arises because a separate doubtful item, K. 658 (Neun Klavierstücke), transmits nine keyboard reductions of orchestral dances and shares two movements with K. 657—yet even there, the relationship between the sources and Mozart’s precise involvement remains unclear [2].
Musical Content
K. 657 is described as a sequence of eight short dance movements for ballet, conceived for insertion between the acts of Ascanio in Alba [1]. Since the surviving layer is essentially a bass part rather than a complete keyboard texture, detailed stylistic reading is limited; still, its function is clear: concise, regular phrases suitable for stage dancing, aligned with the Milanese court-theatre practice that surrounded Mozart’s commission in 1771 [1].
[1] Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum (Köchel-Verzeichnis): KV 657, Ballettmusik zu Ascanio in Alba KV 111 (Fragment), status and source description (doubtful authenticity; bass part survives; Milan before 17 Oct 1771).
[2] Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum (Köchel-Verzeichnis): KV 658, Neun Klavierstücke, notes on 20th-century copy, keyboard reductions, shared movements with KV 657, and uncertain relationship/authorship.