Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 17 Church sonatas for organ solo

There are seventeen one-movement instrumental compositions known to have been composed by Mozart designated as either “Church sonatas” or “Epistle sonatas. Moreover, these consist partly of simple trios for two violins and bass, partly of generous, concertante movements with obbligato organ. In the later pieces, such as K. 263, 278, and 319, two oboes, two horns, two trumpets, and timpani are added. The organ part in theses works ranges from simple continuo playing to virtuoso solo tasks. The pieces were to be played between the Gloria and the Credo, following the reading of the epistle. The charming miniatures were a specialty of Salzburg, although only Mozart could afford the luxury of composing his own pieces. From his predecessors and colleagues in Salzburg, such as Eberlin, Adlgasser or Michael Haydn, namely, no works of this type have been preserved. The Hungarian organist and composer Zsigmond Szathmáry arranged the pieces for organ solo and recorded them within the context of the Stuttgart Mozart Edition. Zsigmond Szathmáry presents a recording of little known music by Mozart with a colorful new sound.