Divertimento No. 5 in C major (K. Anh.C 17.12)
di Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Divertimento No. 5 in C major (K. Anh.C 17.12) survives as an eight-number suite for an unusually bright, ceremonial wind-and-percussion band—two flutes, five trumpets, and timpani. Although long transmitted under Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s name, it is now generally regarded as spurious, and is often described instead as an arrangement—likely by Leopold Mozart—of dances by Josef Starzer and Christoph Willibald Gluck [1].
Background and Context
K. Anh.C 17.12 is not securely placed in Mozart’s biography: no reliable date, place of origin, or authenticating documentation links it to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s compositional output. Modern reference descriptions typically treat the music as an arrangement of pre-existing theatrical dance material (Josef Starzer in the earlier numbers, Christoph Willibald Gluck in the later ones), with Leopold Mozart frequently named as the arranger/copyist rather than Wolfgang [1][2].
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Musical Character
What can be described with confidence is the sound-world the score implies. The scoring—two flutes, five trumpets (some parts in C and D), and timpani—points to outdoor or ceremonial use, with brilliant trumpet writing set above a rhythmic, often foundational timpani part [1]. The piece is laid out as eight short movements, effectively a chain of dances and marching numbers rather than a large, integrated divertimento [1].
Surviving sources are incomplete (some copies lack certain numbers), which reinforces the sense that we are dealing with a practical compilation rather than a single, authorial “Divertimento” conceived as a whole [1]. In color and purpose, the suite aligns with the 18th-century Harmoniemusik and festive trumpet-band tradition—music built for clear profiles, strong cadences, and immediate public effect.
Place in the Catalog
For listeners exploring “Mozart divertimenti,” K. Anh.C 17.12 sits apart: its attraction lies less in the evolution of Mozart’s mature style than in the period’s broader culture of arranging and re-scoring popular stage dances for civic and courtly occasions—here transmitted under Mozart’s name, but most plausibly connected with Leopold Mozart and music by Starzer and Gluck [1][2].
[1] IMSLP work page: authorship note (arrangement by Wolfgang or Leopold Mozart of music by Starzer and Gluck), instrumentation (2 flutes, 5 trumpets, timpani), 8 movements, and notes on incomplete sources/copies.
[2] University of Rochester / Eastman School of Music (Sibley Music Library) record: identifies the set as 8 pieces from a group once ascribed to Mozart; states first five pieces by Josef Starzer and last three by C.W. Gluck; references Köchel (7th ed.) pages.