Fantasia in G minor for Organ (K. Anh. C 27.03)
by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Fantasia in G minor (K. Anh. C 27.03, sometimes also cited as K. 528a) is a short, three-page keyboard fragment traditionally dated to 1787, but transmitted with uncertain provenance and doubtful attribution to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) [1]. Scored for organ in modern cataloging, it reads like the written trace of an improvisatory moment rather than a fully “composed” fantasia in the concert sense [2].
What Is Known
The work circulates as Fantasia in G minor for organ, dated 1787, and is commonly cataloged as K. 528a / K. Anh. C 27.03 [1]. Its modern presentation derives from the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (edited by Wolfgang Plath), where it appears among “single pieces” for keyboard [1]. A heading in the NMA print (as reproduced in the preview image) associates it—cautiously—with an organ improvisation at Strahov Monastery in “Autumn 1787” (entstanden angeblich…) [2]. Beyond that note, the surviving documentation is thin, and the attribution remains questionable.
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Musical Content
On the page, the music is cast on two staves in common time (C), with a G-minor key signature (two flats) and frequent tr (trill) marks over decorative upper-voice figures [2]. The texture suggests an improvisatory idiom: short gestures rather than a clearly articulated large-scale form, with the right hand lingering around a melodic upper register while the left hand supplies relatively sparse harmonic support. Notably, the writing favors quick ornamental turns and cadential-like flourishes—effects that sit naturally under the hands at a keyboard and would project clearly on an organ with a singing principal stop.
[1] IMSLP work page (general info, catalog numbers, year, NMA edition reference) for Fantasia, K.528a/Anh.C 27.03.
[2] IMSLP preview image from the Neue Mozart-Ausgabe print showing the opening (including the note about Strahov Monastery and Autumn 1787, and the notated musical texture).