About this edition
Composed in 1768 when Mozart was just twelve years old, Bastien und Bastienne, K.50/46b is a charming one-act Singspiel that already reveals the dramatic instincts and melodic gift that would define the composer's mature operatic works. Based on a German adaptation of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Le devin du village, this pastoral tale of two young lovers reconciled through the bumbling magic of a village soothsayer offers an enchanting glimpse into Mozart's earliest engagement with the operatic form. The opening intrada is famously remembered for its striking thematic resemblance to the principal theme of Beethoven's Third Symphony — a coincidence that has fascinated musicologists for generations.
This score reproduces the engraving published by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig in 1879, prepared as part of the landmark Mozarts Werke (Serie V: Opern, Bd. 1, No. 3, plate W.A.M. 50). Issued under the editorial supervision of leading nineteenth-century Mozart scholars, this Old Mozart Edition was the first comprehensive scholarly collected edition of the composer's works and remains a cornerstone reference. Its clean engraving, careful textual decisions, and historical authority have made it a trusted resource for conductors, performers, and researchers for well over a century.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score, including front matter and pages 1–55 of the original engraving
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches, suitable for study, rehearsal, and reference
- Reproduced from a public domain historical edition
- Faithful reproduction of the 1879 Breitkopf & Härtel plate W.A.M. 50
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
Because this score reproduces a historical edition that has entered the public domain, we are delighted to make this delightful early Mozart opera available once again to performers, students, and curious listeners. We hope it finds a welcome place on your music stand or library shelf.
