Fugue in C minor for two pianos, K.426

Fugue in G minor for piano duet, K.401

The Fugue in C minor is more familiar in its arrangement for strings, which Mozart made five years after the two-piano version, adding an Adagio prelude at the same time. Although he did begin to write a prelude for two pianos it was never finished and, presumably, the Fugue was played without introduction when it was first performed for the audience of Bach and Handel enthusiasts at the home of Baron van Swieten in Vienna in 1783. It is a strict fugue closely modelled on the examples of J.S. Bach but written in such a way as to take full advantage of both the dynamic range and the textural opportunities offered by the two-piano medium.

The Fugue in G minor, K.401, was written for the same audience (and originally for two hands) a year earlier. Outwardly, it is less effective, partly because of the less dramatic nature of the subject. It is, however, an admirable piece of writing with its own intricate beauty which can be more distinctly registered by four hands than by two.