Date of Graduation
1997
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
All of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's solo piano concertos require a cadenza to be inserted ad libitum toward the end of the first movement. We have original first-movement cadenzas by Mozart for all of his concertos except K. 466, 467, 482, 491, 503, and 537. For these six, there are two viable solutions to the cadenza problem: the performer can either provide his own cadenza or select a cadenza written by someone else. It is the premise of this study that the cadenza should be stylistically consistent with the parent concerto movement. Therefore, its purpose is to develop a model for a Mozartean cadenza, and based on this model to compose first-movement cadenzas for these six piano concertos and to evaluate selected cadenzas by other composers. This study first seeks a detailed understanding of Mozart's cadenzas by (1) surveying the history of the cadenza up to Mozart's time in order to place Mozart's cadenzas in their proper historical context, (2) examining both historical and modern literature on the subject of the cadenza in general and Mozart's piano cadenzas in particular, and (3) analyzing all of Mozart's cadenzas for his solo piano concertos, with particular attention to his Viennese first-movement cadenzas. A total of 127 first-movement cadenzas written by forty composers for these concertos were evaluated. Of the 127 cadenzas, 23 are rated as recommended, 27 as recommended with reservations, and 77 as not recommended based on their stylistic appropriateness for a Mozart concerto. Brief annotations on each of the 127 cadenzas are given in a separate appendix.
Recommended Citation
P'ng, Tean-Hwa, "First-movement cadenzas for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's piano concertos K. 466, 467, 482, 491, 503 and 537." (1997). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 9586.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/9586