The four Horn Concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...

 are a major part of most professional horn players' repertoire. The concertos were written for his friend Joseph Leutgeb (also spelled as "Leitgeb"), whom he had known since childhood. Leitgeb was clearly a skilled player, as the works are very difficult to perform on the natural horn

Natural horn

The natural horn is a musical instrument that is the ancestor of the modern-day horn, and is differentiated by its lack of valves. It consists of a mouthpiece, some long coiled tubing, and a large flared bell. Pitch changes are made through a few different techniques:* Modulating the lip tension as...

 of the period, requiring lip trills, much hand-stopping

Hand-stopping

Hand-stopping is a technique by which a natural horn can be made to produce notes outside of its normal harmonic series. By inserting the hand, cupped, into the bell, the player can reduce the pitch of a note by a semitone or more...

, and rapid tonguing.

Concertos

• Horn Concerto No. 1
  Horn Concerto No. 1 (Mozart)
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 1 in D major, K. 412/386b was written in 1791. The work is in two movements:*I. Allegro*II. Rondo 6/8This is one of two horn concerti of Mozart to include bassoons Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 1 in D major, K. 412/386b was written in 1791....
  
   in D major, K. 412 (1791)
• Horn Concerto No. 2
  Horn Concerto No. 2 (Mozart)
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat major, K. 417 was completed in 1783. The work is in three movements:*I. Allegro maestoso*II. Andante*III. Rondo Più allegro 6/8...
  
   in E flat major, K. 417 (1783)
• Horn Concerto No. 3
  Horn Concerto No. 3 (Mozart)
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major, K. 447 was completed between 1784 and 1787, during the Vienna Period- Background :...
  
   in E flat major, K. 447 (c. 1784-87)
• Horn Concerto No. 4
  Horn Concerto No. 4 (Mozart)
  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 495 was completed in 1786.- Structure :The work is in three movements:*I. Allegro moderato*II. Romance *III. Rondo 6/8...
  
   in E flat major, K. 495 (1786)

Fragmentary and incomplete works

Musicologists believe that Mozart conceived other horn concertos in addition to the four outlined above, based on manuscripts including an incomplete first movement from a concerto in E-flat major (K. 370b) (with which the Rondo, K. 371 was probably paired), and a fragment of the first movement of a concerto in E major (K. 494a).

Discography

Given the duration of the concerti (no more than 20 minutes each) it is quite common to find these Horn Concertos on the same CD, or in boxed sets of Mozart's concerti for wind instruments or even all his concerti. The Naxos Records

Naxos Records

Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...

CD "Complete Works for Horn & Orchestra" includes, besides the concerti, three rondos for horn and orchestra completed by musicologists. When a CD has only one of the horn concerti, it is typically paired with another concerto for a wind instrument also by Mozart.