When did Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart compose the Maurerische Trauermusik?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed the Maurerische Trauermusik in 1785. The work premiered during a funeral service held on the 17th of November 1785.
Questions about Maurerische Trauermusik
Short answers, pulled from the story.
Who were the two Viennese aristocrats honored by the Maurerische Trauermusik?
The composition honored Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Count Franz Esterházy von Galántha who died that year. Their deaths prompted the need for this musical tribute within the Masonic lodge.
Where is the autograph manuscript of the Maurerische Trauermusik located today?
The autograph manuscript now resides in the Berlin State Library. No other copies of the autograph exist today outside of this single archive.
What instruments are included in the original scoring of the Maurerische Trauermusik?
Mozart scored the work for an ensemble including two oboes, one clarinet, three basset horns, one contrabassoon, two horns, and strings. The basset horn parts were written specifically for fellow Freemasons Anton David and Vincent Springer.
When did Sebastian Ruf premiere his new arrangement of the Maurerische Trauermusik?
A new arrangement premiered in 2021 by Sebastian Ruf to match the orchestration of Mozart's Requiem in D minor. La Banda baroque orchestra performed the work under Ruf's direction as an introduction to a full performance of the Requiem.