Der Stein der Weisen: Three Contributions in Act II (doubtful) (K. 714)
ヴォルフガング・アマデウス・モーツァルト作
Mozart’s Der Stein der Weisen contributions (doubtful) (K. 714) are three brief keyboard items associated with Act II of the collaborative Singspiel Der Stein der Weisen, oder die Zauberinsel (1790). Linked to Schikaneder’s Theater auf der Wieden circle in Vienna, they sit on the margins of Mozart’s late style, with attribution resting on later score annotations rather than autograph evidence.
Background and Context
In 1790, at age 34, Mozart was active in Vienna and increasingly connected—directly and indirectly—with Emanuel Schikaneder’s popular suburban theater, the Theater auf der Wieden, where Der Stein der Weisen premiered on 11 September 1790.[1]
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K. 714 refers to three contributions connected with Act II (finale) in this collaborative work; modern discussion of the surviving sources emphasizes that Mozart’s name appears above specific numbers in a Hamburg score whose attributions were added by a copyist linked to the theater’s copy shop.[1] While that context can support the idea of Mozart’s involvement, the pieces’ transmission is indirect, and attribution remains treated cautiously in catalogues and reference summaries.[2][3]
Musical Character
As preserved and discussed in connection with Act II, these are short, functional theatrical contributions—music designed to move the stage action forward within a larger, multi-author finale rather than to stand as an autonomous “piano piece” in the salon sense.[1]
Where the attributions are accepted as plausible, listeners and scholars generally point to a late-Classical clarity of phrase and efficient harmonic pacing appropriate to ensemble finale writing; any specifically “Mozartian” fingerprints (quick, vocal turns of melody; neatly balanced cadences) must, however, be weighed against the shared idiom of Schikaneder’s house composers and the practical demands of comic-spectacular Singspiel production.[1][3]
[1] Dexter Edge (Mozart: New Documents): discussion of the Hamburg score, the Theater auf der Wieden copyists, premiere date (11 Sep 1790), and the placement of Mozart’s name above items in the Act II finale.
[2] Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum, Köchel-Verzeichnis entry for KV 714: *Der Stein der Weisen oder Die Zauberinsel* (pasticcio), noting the Act II finale contributions.
[3] Wikipedia overview of *Der Stein der Weisen* and the commonly listed scope of Mozart’s attributed contributions (including Act II finale sections) under K. 714.