3 German Dances, KV 605 “The Sleighride” (string trio)

Title: 3 German Dances, KV 605 “The Sleighride”

Composer: W. A. Mozart, arr. David Gable

Instrumentation: Violin 1; Violin 2 or Viola; Cello

Printout: 8 pages

Note: Mozart was quite busy in 1791, the last year of his life. In addition to composing two operas, several chamber works, the well known Ave Verum Corpus, and working on his Requiem Mass,  he served as Imperial Chamber Composer for Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor. In this capacity he produced voluminous quantities of dances, including KV 605. The third dance of this set includes the famous “sleigh ride.” This arrangement includes alternate parts for violin 2 and viola.

This item pairs well with Mozart’s 2 Kontratanze, KV 603; and Haydn’s Three German Dances.

The audio sample includes the beginning of No. 1 and a portion of the Sleighride.