Sheet Music: Der Spiegel

TitleDer Spiegel
from 4 Spiegelkanons
Alternate titlesThe Mirror Duet
Allegro from Table Music for Two
Opus numberK. Anh. 10.16
ComposerWolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
InstrumentationFlute duet
KeyG major
RangeB3–D6
Time signature4/4
Tempo138 BPM
Performance time1:50
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (111 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (886 kB)
Play-along accompanimentMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (940 kB)
Date added2021-05-12
Last updated2021-05-12
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 0.8 (average)
Categories
Canons, Classical

Performances

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Wednesday 12 May 2021

Tune of the Day: The Mirror Duet

transcribed for two flutes

This curious piece, popularly known as “Der Spiegel” (“The Mirror”) or “Table Music for Two” and traditionally attributed to Mozart, is what is known as a retrograde inversion canon. In its original form, it is a violin duet, but with a twist: the two performers are supposed to stand facing each other across a table with the sheet music between them, and read from the same score in opposite directions, with the first performer starting from the “beginning” and the second performer starting at the “end”. As if by magic, the result is a coherent piece!

It is highly unlikely that this piece was actually composed by Mozart, but it is listed in Appendix C of the Köchel Catalog as a “Doubtful or Falsely Attributed Work”.

In order to fit the range of the flute, we applied some minor modifications to measures 2, 17, 23, 55, and 61.

Thanks to Elan for suggesting this piece!