Gallimathias musicum
1766 composition by W. A. Mozart
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Gallimathias musicum, (also spelled Galimathias musicum) K. 32, is a quodlibet[1] composed in March 1766 by the ten-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during his grand tour of Europe for festivities celebrating the installation of William V, Prince of Orange.[2] It was first performed at The Hague on 11 March 1766. It was also performed on the family's journey back to Salzburg during a 12-day stopover in October 1766 in Donaueschingen.[3] A typical performance of this piece lasts between 16 and 20 minutes.
| Gallimathias musicum | |
|---|---|
| Quodlibet by W. A. Mozart | |
_jouant_à_Paris_avec_son_père_Jean..._-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) Carmontelle's 1763–64 Mozart family portrait | |
| Other name | Galimathias musicum |
| Catalogue | K. 32 |
| Language | German (8th movement only) |
| Composed | March 1766 |
| Dedication | William V, Prince of Orange |
| Duration | c. 16–20 minutes |
| Movements | 17 |
| Scoring | Orchestra with continuo |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 11 March 1766 |
| Location | The Hague |
| Conductor | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
Instrumentation and structure
The work is scored for two oboes, two horns in D (and C and F), bassoon, mainly colla parte with double bass, harpsichord and strings. It consists of seventeen movements, with several lasting less than one minute:
- Molto allegro in D major (13 bars)
- Andante in D minor (18 bars)
- Allegro in D major (16 bars)
- Pastorella in G major (38 bars)
- Allegro in D major (27 bars, attacca to VI)
- Allegretto in A major (44 bars)
- Allegro in D major (36 bars)
- Molto adagio in G major "Eitelkeit!" (8 bars)
- Allegro in C major (20 bars)
- Largo in D minor (13 bars, attacca to XI)
- Allegro in D major (12 bars)
- Andante in F major (18 bars)
- Allegro in E♭ major (harpsichord solo, 28 bars))
- Menuet in F major (16 bars)
- Adagio in D minor (21 bars)
- Presto in D major (16 bars)
- Fugue in F major (138 bars, no repeats)
A galimatias is a term for nonsense, gobbledygook, a hodgepodge. Not all instruments feature in every movement. No. 8, molto adagio, contains the lyrics, Eitelkeit! Eitelkeit! Ewig's Verderben! Wenn all's versoffen ist, gibts nichts zu erben. [Vanity! Vanity! Eternal ruin! When everything is boozed away, no inheritance is left.], for voices colla parte with violin I, violin II, viola, and bass.
The fugue, No. 17, is based on Mozart's iteration of Wilhelmus, a Dutch patriotic song that would later become the Netherlands' national anthem, as heard as the theme in his set of seven variations on it, K. 25 (March 1766).[4]
Discography
Below is an incomplete list of recordings:
| Year | Conductor | Orchestra | Singers | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | János Rolla | Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra | - | Hungaroton | One track per movement |
| 1990 | - | Orpheus Chamber Orchestra | - | Deutsche Grammophon | Single uninterrupted track |
| 1990 | Neville Marriner | Academy of St Martin in the Fields | Ambrosian Singers | Philips Classics | Divided into tracks consisting of several movements |
| 1998 | Gunar Letzbor | Ars Antiqua Austria | St. Florian Boys' Choir | Chesky Records | One track per movement |
| 2024 | Vahan Mardirossian | Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra | - | Brilliant Classics | One track per movement |
