Noctave
The piece
This minuet is among Mozart's very first pieces: it dates from 1762, when the boy was not yet seven. The letter K. refers to Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue, which lists his works in chronological order. Two short sections are enough, the second bringing back the opening after a turn toward G minor. The text comes from the old complete edition of Mozart's works, issued by Breitkopf & Härtel.
Each two-bar group rests on the same cell: two slurred eighths rising a third, then two repeated quarter notes lower down, F–A and then C–C at the start. Play the first eighth, connect it to the second as the hand lifts, then lightly detach the quarters. The pattern then steps down bar by bar. In the middle, an F-sharp and an E-flat colour the move toward G minor, so read them before you play. The left hand, often a single note per bar, must never cover the right, which plays about 2.5 notes per second at 112 beats per minute.