Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major K219: Transcribed For Cello
Here is the sheet music and play-along audio piano accompaniments for Mozart‘s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major K219, in a version for cello. In its original key, this concerto – unlike almost all of his Violin Sonatas – is just too high and too difficult. Transposed down by a fifth into the key of D major, however, it is eminently playable on the cello. For example, look at the following passage from the end of the first movement, transposed down a fifth into our cello key. This is already “high”. Imagine trying to play it in the original key !!
With this transposition down a fifth, we keep the open string equivalences with the violin which is a very significant advantage, especially for this concertante (soloistic, virtuosic) writing. The transposition into a new key does of course mean that the accompaniment must also be transposed. With a transposition down by a fifth, some passages (or voices) sound better taken up a fourth rather than down a fifth. For the piano accompaniments, while the left hand is normally taken down a fifth, the right hand is more often taken up a fourth. Certainly, for an orchestral version, the first horn will be very grateful for the lower register !
This is a transcription, not an arrangement, and absolutely no notes have been changed from the original violin part (apart of course from the transposition down by an octave + a fifth). In some passages in the second and third movements, the cello part has been taken down only by a fifth (rather than the normal octave + a fifth) in order to keep it in a more soloistic register. Quite a few articulations have however been changed from the original violin part, most often because the bowings do not suit the cello.
The “Literal Versions” are Urtext versions in which all of the markings have been copied from Mozart’s original manuscript, with thanks to Orfeo Mandozzi who took the time to make an excellent Urtext violin part from the original manuscript score.
FIRST MOVEMENT: Allegro aperto
Here are two play-along audio piano accompaniments courtesy of the Youtube channel “Piano Accompaniment Concerts”. The first has a slower practice tempo for the Allegro. Apart from the speed change, both accompaniments are identical. The “Adagio” is taken up a fourth while the rest of the accompaniment is all taken down a fifth. Only the last seven bars of the first orchestral tutti are played.
SECOND MOVEMENT: Adagio
Bars 111-115 are taken one octave higher than our normal transcription in order to get them up into a more singing register.
Here is a play-along piano accompaniment courtesy of Mailika Gambetova and her Youtube channel “Piano Accompaniment”. The entire accompaniment is taken down a fifth compared to the original violin accompaniment. Only the last seven bars of the orchestral introduction are played.
THIRD MOVEMENT:
Bars 1-8 and 16-22, and every time this principal theme of the Rondo comes back, have been taken up an octave from our normal transposition to make them more brilliant and sparkling. As this material comes back many times and often with slight variations, we might want to play it at least once in the lower octave as another way to give its reappearance a bit of variety. Bars 78-80, 89-91 and 250-254 have also been taken up an octave in this transcription so that they don’t get lost in the accompaniment. Put them back down an octave if you feel that the transcription lacks register variety!
Here are two play-along piano accompaniments. The first is at a slower practice tempo. Apart from the different tempo, both accompaniments are identical. A four-bar introduction is added at the beginning. Before each reprise of the Menuetto theme (after every cadenza), a bar is added in which a descending octave interval is played on the first and second beats so that we can know when to start with our third beat (the upbeat to the theme).