Church Sonata in C (lost), K. 677
ヴォルフガング・アマデウス・モーツァルト作
Mozart’s Church Sonata in C (K. 677) is a lost and possibly doubtful work, listed in the Köchel catalogue and dated to 1780. No musical text survives, leaving only the catalogue entry to suggest that Mozart—then 24—may once have contributed another brief sonata for Salzburg liturgical use.
Background and Context
In Salzburg, a Kirchensonate (also called an epistle sonata) was a short instrumental movement performed within the Mass, typically between readings; Mozart supplied a substantial group of such pieces during his Salzburg years [2]. K. 677 is transmitted only as a catalogue reference—a Church Sonata in C, dated 1780—without an extant score, set of parts, or a securely documented performance context [1].
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At that point in 1780, Mozart was still employed in Salzburg under Archbishop Colloredo, though his career was increasingly oriented outward (not least through the Munich commission for Idomeneo late in the year). In that setting, a small liturgical sonata in C major would be entirely plausible as functional church music; yet because the work is lost, and because the attribution itself has been questioned in modern cataloguing practice, K. 677 must be regarded as a doubtful, unverified entry rather than a securely established composition.
Musical Character
Nothing of K. 677’s music is known today: no incipit, instrumentation, length, or movement design survives in accessible sources [1]. As a result, it cannot be responsibly described in terms of themes, harmony, form, or scoring.
More generally, Mozart’s Salzburg church sonatas tend to be concise, bright, and texturally clear—often balancing a melodic upper line with organ and strings in a compact, liturgically timed structure [2]. If K. 677 indeed belonged to this tradition, it would likely have served the same practical purpose; however, without surviving musical material, its specific character and even its authorship remain uncertain.
[1] International Mozarteum Foundation (Köchel Verzeichnis): KV 677 – Church sonata in C (catalogue entry)
[2] International Mozarteum Foundation (Köchel Verzeichnis): KV 328 – Church sonata in C (background on Salzburg epistle sonatas and liturgical function)