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Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik
String quartet · about 17–20 minutes

Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525

Short, clear and tuneful, with notes most players can manage: a natural first piece for a new group, and one that still rewards polish.
Approachable
For 2 violins, viola and cello
Players
2 violins, viola and cello
Difficulty
Approachable, judged by the hardest part
Length
About 17–20 minutes
Written
1787, in Vienna
Also known as
K. 525 · Serenade in G major · A Little Night Music
Free parts
Score and parts on IMSLP

Part by part

The piece is rated by its hardest part. Here is how each part compares, so a group can see who will need to practise most.
Violin 1
Has nearly all the tunes, with quick scale runs and some position work in the outer movements. Easy to read, but everyone knows how it should sound, so clean rhythm matters.
Approachable
Violin 2
Mostly repeated-note accompaniment and doubling of the first violin. Keeping the repeated notes steady and quiet is the real job.
Approachable
Viola
Inner harmony in simple rhythms, comfortably in first position. Rarely exposed.
Approachable
Cello
The bass line throughout (Mozart’s scoring also includes a double bass). Simple, but it sets the pulse for everyone.
Approachable

The movements

I. Allegro. The famous opening, then a bright movement in sonata form. Agree on how short the opening notes should be before you start.
II. Romanze: Andante. A gentle, singing rondo in which the opening tune keeps coming back. Keep it moving; it is an Andante, not an Adagio.
III. Menuetto: Allegretto. A short minuet with a smooth, legato trio. The easiest movement to read at sight.
IV. Rondo: Allegro. Quick and cheerful, with running notes passed around the group. Take it at a tempo the first violin can keep clean.

Reading it together for the first time

Start with the Menuetto: it is short and gives everyone a feel for the style before the faster movements.
If your parts come from a string-orchestra or quintet edition, the cellist can simply play the bass line; check the cello part does not leave out bass notes.
Decide on repeats before you begin. With all of them the piece is close to 20 minutes; without, much shorter.
Because the notes are easy, spend the extra time on matching bow strokes and keeping the accompaniment light.

About the piece

Mozart finished it in Vienna on August 10, 1787, while he was working on the second act of Don Giovanni. Why he wrote it is a mystery, and so is whether anyone played it before he died. It only appeared in print around 1827, when Johann André published it in Offenbach am Main, decades after Mozart’s death.
Mozart listed five movements, but the minuet and trio that came second in his list is lost, so what we play today has four. He wrote it for a string quartet plus double bass. String orchestras play it often, but it works well with one player per part and the bass left out.

Hear it live

No performances in New York, Boston, the Bay Area or Los Angeles on our listings right now. We update them every week.

What to play next

Haydn · String Quartet in B-flat, Op. 1 No. 1 “La chasse”
Same level: an early Haydn quartet, light and quick, with a similar classical style.
Approachable
Mozart · Divertimento in D, K. 136
Mozart again, one step up: faster passagework, especially for the first violin.
Intermediate
Haydn · String Quartet in C, Op. 76 No. 3 “Emperor”
One step up into a real Classical quartet, with a slow movement many players will recognise.
Intermediate
Mozart · String Quartet in B-flat, K. 458 “Hunt”
A good first Mozart quartet once this feels easy; more shared between the four players.
Intermediate
More in the full list by difficulty, or browse:
Easy chamber musicString quartetsViolinViolaCello

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Levels are Rhapsodate’s own rough guide, not an exam grade. Facts checked 2026-10-03 against:
IMSLP: movements, the lost movement, scoring, free scores and parts
Wikipedia: date, catalogue entry, lost minuet, first publication
Reading Symphony Orchestra programme note: Don Giovanni, length
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