Minuet in D major (attributed)

A dance attributed to Mozart

This minuet is presented here as a work attributed to Mozart. Its opening exchanges short figures between the upper and lower parts, before a longer descending line changes the scale of the gesture. Later, double notes and sustained bass tones thicken the texture. The musical task is to keep that variety inside a recognisable dance, rather than making every new detail sound like another piece.

At the keyboard

Let the opening rests speak: the answering part should enter into the space, not cover it. Practise the longer descending figure as one line, then listen to how its arrival changes the phrase. Where the right hand has double notes, try singing only the upper line and keeping the other note in proportion. These are score-based possibilities to test at the keyboard.

Music in this edition

1. Minuet in D major (attributed)