Mozart Violin Sonata No. 26 in B-Flat major, K. 378

Classical Music / Sonata for Violin and Piano, K. 378

Violin and piano sonata No. 26 in B-flat major, K. 378 (K. 317d) by Mozart, interpreted by Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin) and Lambert Orkis (piano).

Wolfgang A. Mozart composed more than a dozen or so sonatas for piano and violin. He started writing them in the 1760s (he wasn't even a teenager) and continued writing them in 1781, the year he left Salzburg and moved to Vienna, never to return to his city of birth. Some of these sonatas include the six Mannheim Sonatas of 1778, and Mozart's four glorious late works during the mid- and late 1780s.





Violin and Piano Sonata No. 26 in B-flat major, K. 317d (formerly K. 378), comes from the 1781 set. Some biographers seem to think that the piece might have been composed two years earlier, that is, in 1779, while he was still in Salzburg.


Mozart's Violin Sonata K. 378 has always been one of my all-time favourites most especially because it reminds me of a hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus" (also known as "Beautiful Saviour"), a Christian hymn I love and grew up singing, be it in church or in the comfort of home. I'd like to share a video performed by violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter.  

 

I have always wondered why there hasn't been any reference to Mozart's Violin Sonata K. 378 on mention of this hymn. According to some accounts, "Fairest Lord Jesus" was called "Crusader's Hymn" because it was sung by German Crusaders as they made their way to the Holy Land. But William Jensen Reynolds dismisses as "completely erroneous" any association of this hymn with the Crusades. The words may have originated in the Jesuit Order, which came into being after the Crusades. The tune emerges in Franz Liszt's oratorio Legend of Saint Elizabeth—wherein the tune forms part of the "Crusader's March"—but no evidence of the tune exists prior to 1842, when the hymn appeared in Schlesische Volkslieder. (Source: Wiki) 

 

 

Listen to this video of Fairest Lord Jesus - Here. 

 

 

Also, below, examine the slow movement of Mozart's B-flat Violin Sonata, K. 378, which I found amongst my music hymnbooks and scores. The sumptuously scored second subject is for the Crusader's Hymn tune, which is most often associated with Fairest Lord Jesus.

 

Okay, it is not a particularly original melodic structure, but the tunes are so similar that the hymn being too familiar with me immediately came to mind the very first time I heard Mozart's Violin Sonata K. 378 moons ago. Note that even where the violin melody becomes more elaborate, the same descent can still be traced from do down to re, looking at above's music notations. Oh well, be it ever, I still love dear Mozart's Violin Sonata K. 378 as well as "Beautiful Saviour".

About Anne-Sophie Mutter (born June 29, 1963): She is a German violinist born in Rheinfelden, West Germany, supported by the famous conductor Herbert von Karajan early on in her career. She is known for being a champion of contemporary music composed especially for her, although her repertoire includes many classical works.  She owns two Stradivarius violins, a Finnigan-Klaembt, dated 1999 and a Regazzi, dated 2005.  She is known not to use a shoulder rest when playing. Her need for her violin traction whilst playing has led her to wear the same style of John Galliano sleeveless dress during her performances.


Video Credit:

Mozart Violin Sonata in B, KV 378 with Anne-Sophie Mutter (Violin) and Lambert Orkis (Piano). YouTube, uploaded by Some Oane. Accessed June 29, 2014.


Resources:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Violin and Piano Sonata No.26 in B..  www.allmusic.com. Accessed June 29, 2014. 

Interview with Anne-Sophie Mutter. www.violinist.com.  Accessed june 29, 2014.

Dynamic CDT5092. Opera and Classical Music. Accessed June 29, 2014.


(c) February 2014. Updated October 4, 2020. Tel. Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved.