Fantasia in c minor, K. 475

Composer: MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus
  • Mozart wrote Fantasia in c minor in 1785. The work is noteworthy for its stark contrasts in mood and color, which may have been influenced by the composer’s study of the music of JS Bach.1
  • In performance, Fantasia in c minor is often paired with Piano Sonata No. 14 in c minor, K. 457, and the two works were published together in 1785.2
  • The period during which Mozart wrote Fantasia in c minor was filled with optimism and success for the composer. He was finally seen as one of Vienna’s most popular musicians. At one of Mozart’s concerts that year, the Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph II, not only attended but also (very publicly) shouted “Bravo!” to the composer as he was leaving the stage.3

Sources

  1. Grant Hiroshima, “Fantasia in C minor, K. 475,” L. A. Phil, accessed October 15, 2025, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/1712/fantasia-in-c-minor-k-475.
  2. “Fantasia in C minor, K.475 (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus),” IMSLP, accessed October 15, 2025, https://imslp.org/wiki/Fantasia_in_C_minor,_K.475_(Mozart,_Wolfgang_Amadeus).
  3. Robert Spaethling, Mozart’s Letters, Mozart’s Life (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000), 323.

Cut IDs

40697 45503 49342 27232 27407