W. A. Mozart. Editions of the piano quartets K. 478 and K. 493, 1794 and 1809

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus

Editions of the piano quartets K. 478 and K. 493, 1794 and 1809

Quatuor pour Le Clavecin ou Piano Forte Violon Alto viola, Violoncelle...N.^o ['1' in manuscript] [K. 478], Mainz: Schott, [1794], complete parts, 14, 5, 5, 4 pages, oblong 4to (piano part: c. 24.5 x 32.5cm) and 4to (the other parts: 33 x 25.5cm, loose and uncut), plate number 71, ownership inscription to title of keyboard part ("Marie Lichtenstein")

N.^o 2 des Quatuors Pour le Piano-Forté Violon, Alto et Violoncelle [K. 493], Offenbach: J. André, [1809], complete parts, 19, 5, 5, 5 pages, oblong 4to (piano part: 24.5 x 32.5cm) and 4to (the other parts: c. 34 x 24.5cm, loose and uncut), plate number 2700, lithographed titles and music, romantic title-illustration to keyboard part showing a wanderer going through a gate, some damp-staining to the loose parts  

the keyboard parts of the quartets bound together in one volume with the keyboard parts of a later edition by Haslinger (from 1826) of Beethoven's Piano Trio Op. 97 ('Archduke') and works including by Hummel and Lauska, the violoncello part to Op. 97 (the original violin part lacking and supplied by another edition) and other parts for the Hummel work loose, the volume bound in C19th marbled boards, manuscipt label to upper cover, ownership inscription to front free endpaper ("Lichtenstein")

Mozart's piano quartet K. 478 was first issued by Hoffmeister at the end of 1785. The present issue by Schott is a re-issue of an earlier 1786 edition. André's edition of the second piano quartet, K. 493, although over two decades later than the Artaria first edition of 1787, is remarkable as a beautiful example of an incunabulum of music lithography.

LITERATURE

RISM M 6313 (K. 478) and M 6331 (K. 493)