MOZART AND THE PRACTICE OF SACRED MUSIC, 1781-91 a ...

quite early. 216 Ave verum corpus appears to have been virtually unknown before its publication
by André in 1808, and these parts are likely among the earliest surviving performance
material for the work. The set consists of an original layer, with surviving parts for Organo e
Basso, Canto, Alto, Basso, Violino Primo, Violino Secondo, Viola and Violon, and later
parts with a different staff-ruling for Canto, Tenore, Basso, Violino Primo and Violino
Secondo. None of the parts are on Italian paper, and the watermarks are particularly difficult
to make out. 217 The reverse of the organ part contains what appear to be exercises in figured
bass, and the fact that they are set in the unusual keys of B minor and B major suggests the
two pieces were taken from a larger set that contained examples in every key. 218 If it were
possible to identify the source of these exercises, one might gain an approximate idea of the
manuscript’s date. In the absence of such an identification, one must rely on the physical
evidence of the parts. Although the watermark evidence is inconclusive, the size of the paper
and the style of the Latin script suggest that the parts date from the early nineteenth century,
and it almost certain that they were not used for a putative performance in June 1791; see
Figure 4.19.
At least one further early source for Ave, verum corpus must have existed. Many of the
entries in Mozart’s Verzeichnis are marked with three crosses in ink and pencil, and Edge has
presented strong evidence that they were added in connection with André’s receipt of the
Mozart Nachlass in January 1800. The entry for Ave, verum corpus is marked with just such a
series of crosses, which seems to suggest that André had received a copy of the motet from
Constanze, or at least that he knew the location of the autograph. 219 As we have seen,
216 A-Wn, Fonds 4 Baden 293.
217 Possible designs include the letters H WIRA, crossed keys and a figure holding a sword.
218 The hand responsible for the figured bass also produced the Violon part for Ave verum corpus. The
remaining parts in the original layer, including the Organo e Basso part, were the work of one further copyist.
The figuring in the Organo e Basso part appears to have been a later addition.
219 MVC, 1067.
329